Lost and Found
by Nyria Waynes
Summary: Dreams are but shadows, or aren't they? In one of the earlier timelines Kyouko has a very strange dream, but just how much could one little dream affect the fate of Miki Sayaka? Kyouko is determined to do something about the things she saw, at any cost. Sayaka on the other hand... Beware, there will be spoilers, so watch the anime first.
1. On the brink of despair

**Introduction:** This story takes place in an alternate timeline which is relatively akin to the timeline of the anime, though some things are different as well and things won't go quite the same way, I suppose it could also count as AU, though we aren't really sure. It will eventually lead to Sayaka x Kyouko (yuri/girl x girl), so if that isn't your cup of tea you should probably not read this. Of course we don't own the original, all rights go to their respective owners.

...

**Sayaka's POV**, after the fight against Elsa Maria

...

This fight was so easy, I don't even know how I could've been struggling against any Witches or Familiars before... Without the pain there is nothing holding me back any more; I don't need any help, my wounds just close themselves afterwards. The labyrinth of the Witch disintegrates into thin air, as if nothing had ever happened. The only proof she was even there to begin with is the black gem falling to the ground. I pick it up, but I have no need for it, I will just give it to that red-haired vulture...

"Here. You're after that, right?" I toss it over to her. Why else would she have come, if she wasn't waiting for me to die so she could finish off the weakened Witch herself or to claim my price? As if she'd come here to help me because she was worried about me, or anyone else for that matter. She doesn't care about anything but her own worthless life and her well-being... She wouldn't care if some Familiar became a Witch and killed scores of people as long as she got a Grief Seed out of it, that's the kind of person she is.

"Hey..." She looks a little bit... I don't know how I should interpret this look, sad, worried, annoyed? Not that it matters. I slowly walk towards Madoka. Maybe I'm being a little bit too harsh with her, maybe she isn't such a bad person after all... what she told me in that church, if it was true I could somewhat understand her. But I don't even care any more, all I can do is fight Witches; that's all Magical Girls are good for, in the end.

"I don't want to owe you any favours. We're even, okay?" I don't think I needed help, but I don't want to feel as if I'd be indebted to her, of all people. I walk past her and towards Madoka, she also looks rather worried. What is their problem? This body is just a corpse, the heart may beat, the blood may be warm and flow, but it isn't my body any longer. It's just an object I use to fight the Witches. That's all I am, a weapon to fight Witches; my soul isn't even in my body any more... "Let's go, Madoka."

"Sayaka-chan..." I don't really understand why she is so worried, if she really wanted to help me, to protect me, all she would have to do is make a contract with Kyubey. He already told me that she would be so much stronger than any of us... No, I shouldn't think like this, I decided this for myself; it was my fault for being so stupid! I feel so tired... I undo my transformation and try to land on my feet, but somehow my body doesn't obey me; for just a moment I fall, but I can support myself on Madoka.

"Sorry..." I let go of Madoka and try to stand on my own feet. I think I could hear a faint gasp behind me just now, it almost sounds a little bit like Kyouko... Or maybe I'm just hearing things, my body is still a little bit hard to control. "I'm a little bit worn out." I slightly stagger backwards, but Madoka catches me again. I feel so useless, Mami-san would be so much stronger, Kyouko would be so much stronger...

"Don't push yourself. I'll carry you." I want to protest for a moment. A heroine should be able to stand on her own two feet and fight her own battles; but my body doesn't allow it and I probably can't call myself that either way. Even as a zombie I have my limits, everyone else is so much stronger than me... Why can't I be as strong as Mami-san was, or as strong as that transfer student and Kyouko!? Those two use their powers for their own wicked ends, but I, trying to do the right thing, have to be so damn weak!

There is no point in complaining, the world wasn't ever fair to begin with; I sacrifice my life and more for Kamijou-kun, but he doesn't even look at me in return... Just a couple of days ago everything was wonderful in our perfect little world. Sure, we had to go to school and Kamijou-kun had his injured hand, but all those problems I had before just feel so trivial in comparison... I lean onto Madoka and let her carry me, probably to the next metro station.

...

It started raining. Madoka did bring me to the closest metro station; from here I could just take a train home, but what would be the point of doing that...? It's all so pointless, I can't believe I was so hyped to become a Magical Girl before, what for? To protect someone? To save someone? Why did I care about Kamijou-kun so much to begin with? He just acted like a spoiled little brat. No, that's not true, but I feel so...

"Sayaka-chan... You're not supposed to fight like that..." Madoka is my best friend, I lean against her, but right now she's just annoying me... This is the only way I can fight; if I don't do it this way I'd be even more useless, I wouldn't even be able to hurt the Witches any more. I look at her for a moment, she's crying... "Don't lie and say it doesn't hurt! I can tell how bad you're hurting just watching you! Don't act like it's okay to get hurt just because you can't feel it!" Where did all that power I had while fighting that Witch in black and white go...?

"If I don't do that I can't win. I'm no good." I push myself a little bit away from her, at least I can sit on my own again. I should leave, if I stay here I'll just end up hurting Madoka; the words I say feel so strange to me, almost as if someone else was saying them, but it's all true... How could I be such a stupid airhead just a few days ago, joking around with my friends and caring about nothing, despite the world being as it is? I was so blind...

"Even if you win fighting like that, it's no good for you!" 'No good for me'? I could almost burst out laughing, there no longer is something that could be good for me. I'm just a stupid corpse, I can't be with Kamijou-kun because of that, I can't be with anyone... All I have to look forward to is dying at the hands of some Witch or some other way, maybe Kyouko or that transfer student would do it if I get in their unjust ways again...

"Good for me? What is good for me?" Madoka makes a surprised noise and I finally find the strength to stand up again, though I'm still staggering a little bit. Well, at least it doesn't hurt... The rain is getting stronger again, I should have left sooner. But I can stand Madoka's stupid concerns no longer, why should I hold back, just for her sake? I take out my darkened Soul Gem and show it to her. "How is anything good for me with a body like this?"

"Sayaka-chan..." I wanted to spare her from this, but she just had to keep pushing it, had she just remained quiet... To hell with her! She just talks about it as if she knew everything there was to know about being a Magical Girl, but the truth is that she can't understand the first thing about us. At least my feet are working properly again, so I stand up and walk out into the rain; it's not as if I'd feel it on my skin any longer, this isn't even my skin...

"I'm just a lump of stone put here to defeat Witches. A walking corpse, pretending it's alive. What can anyone do for me? There's no point even thinking about it." It's depressing, but that's all there is to it; the human Miki Sayaka died the moment she made a contract with Kyubey. For such a pointless thing... How could I throw away my humanity, my very soul for a jerk like that!? I know that he isn't really a jerk, but still...!

"But I want to make you happy somehow..." I want to leave, I want to run away before I can say anything else, but I stay. I can't help it, I want to blow off some steam and Madoka is the only one here. I almost wish Kyouko was here so that we could beat each other up over it instead, she can take it, but Madoka... I should go, I really should go before I say anything I can't take back...

"Then you fight them." Madoka's eyes widen in fear, as if she only understood now what it would mean to help me... Shouldn't that be obvious? I'm sure Kyubey told her a million times by now how much better she'd be than any of us ordinary Magical Girls, how great she would be... Why does she have to have that power, why can't it be me...? "Kyubey told me you have far more potential than most of the other Magical Girls. You can take them out without getting beat up like that."

"I... That's..." As I thought, she wouldn't be willing to give up that much for just her stupid friend. She could wish Mami-san back, maybe I should have done that myself instead of giving Kamijou-kun his stupid hand back, it's not as if he'd ever use it to tou- What am I even thinking!? What a pathetic excuse for a heroine I am... I tell myself I wanted to do what was right, but in the end I just wanted him to look at me the way he will probably look at Hitomi...

"If you want to do something for me, then go ahead and see what my life is really like. Nah, of course you won't." I finally get my legs to move towards the exit; the doors open, but I can't stop my mouth now... "You're not going to throw away your humanity out of sympathy." Why do I have to do something like that? I know how it has to hurt Madoka, I know it, but I just keep going. It feels as if a dam had broken inside of me, holding all these thoughts back...

"Sympathy? Sayaka..." I hate the way she's just sitting there, pitying me with her big pink eyes as if she could do nothing but cry. Even though she could do just about anything I could never hope to; the choices she could make are infinite, yet she just chooses to do absolutely nothing with that power... I feel jealous, it's so unfair, I'd make this world a just place if I had that power, I would eradicate all...! I shouldn't think like this, I really shouldn't, but...

"I'm like this because even though you could do anything you're doing nothing! So don't just play innocent while giving me lectures!" I said it, I just said it all... I wanted to keep those ugly thoughts away from Madoka, I wanted to protect her from all of this; but I have to leave now, before it's too late. If I don't leave now there's no telling what I might end up doing to her... I might be cursed already, but if I just stay alone from now on...

"Sayaka-chan..." She follows me outside, into the heavy rain... I have to get rid of her before something really bad happens.

"Stay away from me." Madoka looks at me as if I had just slapped her, but I don't think she'll follow me any longer, that's probably for the best. I just run off and leave her behind... I should go back and apologise, but as I am now I'd just end up hurting her even more; this is better for both of us. I can't hold my tears back any longer as I run away from her, I don't even know where to... "I'm a total moron! Why did I say that to her!? I'm hopeless!"

...

**Kyouko's POV**, Homura's apartment

...

I take a pair of chopsticks and start eating the instant noodles I made myself, Homura has it pretty good here. Running water, a water boiler, pretty much anything I'd need for a good life, though her taste for home decoration leaves a lot to be desired. I dig in, but somehow the noodles don't taste how they should, they're so stale... Maybe I got a bad package or something like that, though I think it's rather because of what happened earlier today. 'I don't want to owe you any favours. We're even, okay?'

"I predict that Walpurgisnacht will appear in this area." Bloody hell, why do I have to worry about that idiot so much!? It's her own damn problem if she wants to get beaten to death by some stupid Witch, I should be glad if that'd happen, but somehow I don't think I would be... She and her stupid ideals with heroism, justice and all that other crap; she has to be even worse than Mami used to be, at first I wanted to beat that right out of her, but now...

"Where's it based?" At least I can distract myself with something serious, if I didn't have to worry about a Walpurgisnacht this would probably drive me crazy. I was thinking way too much about that girl lately... She reminds me a lot of how I used to be, how I listened to my father and his stories about how to make the world a better place. And how he destroyed what little we had in a single night, our family, when I did try to make a difference... In a way our wishes went pretty much the same way, taking the most important things we had from us, huh?

"The clock tower."

"The clock tower?" I slurp down some of my ramen, though I wonder how she wants to know something like that. "I haven't heard of Walpurgisnacht appearing in this city before. So how are you so sure about the clocktower?" Homura just stares back at me and ignores my question... "Look, this isn't exactly a line of business where you can blindly trust your colleagues, you know? Why don't you show me a bit more about what you're really after?"

"I'd like to ask that, too. Akemi Homura." That stupid... I don't know how he got in here, but I want to kick him out already. I materialise my spear and point it directly at his face.

"You've got a lot of guts showing your face here, rat." He doesn't seem to be very impressed; somehow his behaviour is ticking me off even more than usual. Nah, why should he tell us that he just removes the most important 'components' of our being and puts them into gems, that'd be ridiculous, huh? I wanted to hit him so hard, but that probably wouldn't really help us either, would it? Though he'd deserve it.

"Oh, so I'm an uninvited guest? And here I am tonight, trying to give you some really important information." He's wagging his tail like a cat playing with a mouse... I don't think I'd really care about his 'information'; at least not if it's like anything he's given us so far, but I make a questioning sound to make him continue. "Miki Sayaka is exhausting herself faster than I expected. Not only in terms of magic use, but her body itself exudes a cursed air."

"And whose fault is that?" That ugly thing has to remind me of her again, how she's probably sitting somewhere all alone, pitying herself for her fate. I'd say that it's her own fault, but that wouldn't really be the whole truth. She didn't know half the things there were to know. Heck, I didn't know any of this Soul Gem business until just recently, I don't think I'd have agreed to that contract if I'd known that; starving would probably still be better than what we got.

"If she keeps this up, something unfortunate will happen before Walpurgisnacht. You should be careful." Hmpf, I wouldn't call that information very useful; especially since he's probably keeping at least half of the important stuff to himself, for example what's supposed to happen...

"What's that supposed to mean?" I lower my weapon, it's not as if I'd really need it against Kyubey. He's still making me pretty mad, with his high-pitched voice and how his face is always the same, he'd make a pretty good poker player...

"Why don't you ask her instead of me?" Huh? Why should Homura know anything 'bout this? Then again, she was always bragging around with knowledge she probably shouldn't have to begin with... "You already know, don't you, Akemi Homura?" She somehow reminds me of Kyubey, she's almost as good as him at hiding what she thinks. It'd probably be fun to see a poker match between these two... Or it would be boring as hell. "I wonder where you picked up that little fact. I'm very, very curious. Are you..."

"You've asked your questions. Now begone." Maybe she wished for knowledge? But Kyubey said he didn't make a contract with her... At least she seems to dislike him just as much as I do, if her expression just now is anything to go by. He makes a little bow and vanishes into the shadows; though I wonder why we don't just kill him, he's not doing us any good. Hopefully Homura will explain this to me, I didn't really understand a word they were saying just now. I put away my spear and turn towards Homura.

"You're letting him go?"

"Killing it would solve nothing." Somehow I feel like beating all the answers I want out of her, but she isn't exactly someone I can take lightly. She is rather strong, she stepped in when I and Sayaka were at each other's throats and she knows a lot. Then again, she isn't much better than Kyubey; she also tells me next to nothing if I don't ask at least three times and even then her answers are pretty vague, most of the time. Though I'm kind of worried about what that little critter said...

"Anyway, what about Miki Sayaka? What's this 'something unfortunate' he's talking about?" I think my feeling was right, something is definitely wrong with Sayaka, though I don't know what she's done this time...

"Her Soul Gem has become corrupted." She looks just a little bit sad, but I think tired would describe her better as a whole... "If it isn't cleansed soon, something will happen that cannot be undone." What's that even supposed to mean? At least it doesn't sound good at all, I'm feeling even more worried 'bout her now. Something that can't be undone, so she'd probably die if this goes on... Dammit!

"Whatever, I think I'll call it a night, there's not much we can do right now. But we'll take care of Sayaka tomorrow, alright?" Homura looks at me with her usual blank stare, I guess she isn't exactly hyped by that idea. But if she wants my help she'd better do it; otherwise I'll do it on my own and see whether I'll help her with Walpurgisnacht afterwards. I could just as well take Sayaka and go somewhere else. Walpurgisnacht would just kill some people, destroy a lot of stuff here and a city there and be done with it, that's how it always goes with those.

"If you really want that..." Well, of course, otherwise I wouldn't bring that up in the first place. Though I should keep an eye out for Homura and Kyubey. I don't trust either of them, they're probably both just trying to use me to their own ends. The only one who didn't seem to try that so far was Sayaka, though she tried to kill me instead. Not that much better, in my opinion. Well, whatever, I should really get some sleep...

"Yeah, I want that, so you'd better go along with it, alright? Well, we can meet here tomorrow and discuss what we're gonna do from there on. I'll come around three o'clock, alright?" Homura just nods a little bit absentminded, so I let myself out and get going. At least the rain isn't really strong any more, just a light drizzle. Why did I even think about taking Sayaka with me if I'd want to leave this city to its fate? She'd never agree to something like that, it would go against her stupid ideals and so on...

If only it wouldn't be so damn difficult with her; back there in the church I thought she'd finally understand where I'm coming from and I think she kinda did, but she still didn't try to listen to my advise. She's just going on and on with her stupid self-righteousness... At least she isn't some damn hypocrite about it, she goes by her own standards, even if it takes her straight to hell. I can respect that, somewhat, but I still have to stop her!

"Dammit, why do you have to be so stupid...?" I wonder aloud, but there's no one else around, even if there was I don't think anyone could give me a good answer for that question. She is a real piece of work, a mountain would probably listen to reason and move out of the way before she would... I guess I kinda like that about her as well, even if life itself comes around to smack her in the face she tries to get back up again.

But if she keeps doing that she won't get up right away, she'll never get back up again... Well, what should I do about that anyways? It's not as if I was her friend. Heck, I know her for a couple of days now and I wouldn't say we got along well. Especially since her first impression of me was me trying to kill her and all that stuff, though that wasn't really my intention... Geez, I tell myself to stop worrying about it, but after half a minute I'm right back to it either way. It wouldn't be so bad if I could do something about it, but I just can't...

I'd really like to beat someone up right now, anyone would do; but that wouldn't really make this situation any better. If anything Sayaka would probably just somehow happen across me while I was in the middle of it and that wouldn't make things between us any better. It would just make her think even less of me and she probably wouldn't bother with asking questions, so that would just end with more bloodshed... Oh, I'm already in front of my 'apartment'... Now just a little climbing tour...

...

I push open the window, it's rather hard to open since no one takes care of it. I didn't even realise how long I was just lost in thoughts, but I somehow found my way back, though this place sucks... well, it's not as if I could afford anything better, I don't earn any money and I don't pay for this place. The owners don't even know I eat and sleep here. It's actually just a rundown attic, they didn't use it in years. I have nothing but a futon here, nothing from before my 'single life'... Well, and there's also a ton of empty packing, I rarely bother cleaning here.

I feel pretty tired, so I just take a box of pocky from my supplies and drop into my futon. This thing could also use some cleaning... Then again no one ever comes here, not even the owners of this place, so who cares about this anyways? If I want to do something I get out of here and do it. I can't say it's perfect, but right now is still pretty much the prime of my life, we were always starving as a family because of how stupid others were.

Whatever, I don't really feel like thinking back to my family. Things are gloomy enough as is, no point thinking about even more depressing stuff. At least I have my pocky, that's all I need to be happy, I can do just fine on my own. So what if I didn't earn it with honest work, I don't give a damn about that. It's not as if those big business concerns or the supermarkets would miss the stuff. I slam the window shut again, it's rather cold and unpleasant outside... Maybe I should consider getting myself a job...

Where did that one come from? Why should I give up the convenient life I have right now? I only have to worry about the Witches, everything else is taken care of, I have food, a roof above my head, everything I need... Sayaka would probably think better of me, so maybe I should consider it and clean up this slough while I'm at it... Yeah, as if, it's not as if Sayaka would care about where or how I live, or even care about me at all.

The more important question would be why I even think about what Sayaka might think about certain things, I shouldn't care about that at all. I shouldn't care about her at all, for crying out loud! *Sigh* This is pointless, I stretch myself once more and get onto the futon, with my clothes still on. I used to break into the actual rooms all of the time before, but somehow I didn't do that since I met Sayaka...

"Well, what do you want to do about Miki Sayaka?" The hell!? That stupid little rat, can't he even leave me alone when I'm about to go to sleep!? I jump out of my futon immediately and materialise my spear, this time I don't even bother with words, I just pierce his smug little face. Should've done that a couple of years ago, before I even became a Magical Girl. This should take care of that problem, there's a hole in his face now. "You could have just told me to leave, that would have been less time-consuming for both of us..."

"What the hell!? How are you still...?" I push him off of the spear, but there's already a new one, though I have no idea how that one got here... How did the first one even get in here? The door is locked and even I have some trouble getting that window to open. Well, he's powerful enough to grand otherwise impossible wishes and stuff like that, so I shouldn't be that surprised. I should probably just ignore him and get to bed already, I feel pretty tired. "You know what? I don't care, just get out of here and don't come back..."

"You could have just said so to begin with, I will leave." I push off my boots and lie down again, this time I'm really going to sleep, no matter what... wait, what's that strange munching sound? It's pretty dark in here, so I need to focus a little bit. Is that... Is that thing eating its own corpse!? Dammit, I should really just ignore him. I close my eyes and cover my ears, at least I don't think it should take long to fall asleep...

...

Huh...? Where am I? It looks like... a metro station? I look around a little bit, it seems somewhat familiar, after a moment I see her sitting next to me, Sayaka... I don't know what I'm doing here with her, but it somehow feels off. Sayaka looks pretty sad and I want to reach out for her, say something, but I can't move my body. I just sit here, next to her. There is something in her hands, is that a Grief Seed...? And why is she crying? She looks so pretty with her blue hair and her clear eyes, but also so sad...

"I've been... such a fool." She's smiling, but I can almost feel the pain coming from her. That thing in her hand... it's her Soul Gem! It's almost completely black, I have to do something! But I can't move my arms or even say anything as the tears roll down her cheeks... as the first one hits her Soul Gem there's a strange sound and everything gets distorted all of a sudden, I'm thrown away by something. Sayaka's body as well, there's something dark here...

"**SAYAKAAAAAA!**" This was my voice, but I wasn't the one calling, I wanted to, but I didn't... what's going on here!? I hold onto some kind of pole and in front of me is... a Witch! Music starts to play... I transformed just now, evade some strange wheels and jump to catch Sayaka, I have to save her! Well, I'm not really doing anything, but I still try. That thing looks like some kind of a deranged knight with a fin... The Witch is screaming now, it almost sounds like... "What the hell? What are you? What have you done to Sayaka?!"

I can feel her, still warm in my arms, but she doesn't move a single muscle. Her blue hair is covering her eyes completely... What is all this!? Now there are tracks for trains and musical notes forming in thin air. This has to be the labyrinth materialising all around us, I need to destroy that Witch! I get on the tracks and try to approach it, but one of the wheels is getting too close, at this rate I won't be able to...! *Bang* Suddenly the wheel is gone, wha-

"Get back." So Homura did come to help me, I guess. She disappears almost immediately and for a moment nothing happens, then an explosion goes off where the Witch is... Did she kill it? I can't see anything. Within mere seconds the smoke clears and Homura is standing in front of me, but the Witch is also still there. "Hold on." She holds out her hand to me as the Witch gives off a noise that sounds like the horn of a train, blowing the remaining smoke away...

"What are you...?" I don't even know what I try to ask, but there are a lot of questions I'd have for her right now...

"Just do it!" I don't exactly trust her, but I have no other choice but to hold onto her hand, no matter what she's planning... Her shield makes a strange noise and after a second everything around us just stops. The Witch, the wheels, the music, everything except for us. This has to be her doing, so that's how she just teleported somewhere else, she didn't really teleport, she just stopped time and got there, I guess...

"She's..."

"If you let go of me, time will stop for you as well. Be careful." She just starts running and drags me along...

"What's going on? Where did that Witch come from?!" Now that's a good question. I can't imagine it targeted us or something like that, Witches ain't that smart...

"That Witch is Miki Sayaka. You have seen it yourself, haven't you?" What the hell!? Is she saying that when Sayaka's Soul Gem...

"Are we running away?" We should probably fight it, try to retrieve her Grief Seed or something, maybe we could-

"Drop that useless burden if you want to come along. Let's kill that Witch. Can you do that?" And I thought I was being cold to Sayaka before...

"Are you mental!?" Exactly my question.

"You'll just be a hindrance like that." As much as I hate to admit it, she's right... I can't doge while carrying Sayaka and I can't use both of my hands to wield my spear efficiently. I can't do anything except for watching, but still... "Get out of here for now." After a few more seconds of running I can see a bright light and we leave the twisted labyrinth of that Witch, at last... It was just a minute since it materialised, but that was more than enough for me already. It was giving me a real headache.

As soon as we get out Homura lets go of my hand and I drop to my knees almost instantly. Sayaka still in my arms, completely motionless... It's still a little bit blurry, but we got out... I gently move her hair out of her face, her eyes are empty, she looks so... different.

...

Suddenly I'm somewhere else, I walk on some train tracks, but this looks like the real world. I have Sayaka with me, but she hasn't recovered... I can see that pink-haired girl walking towards us, though I have no idea how she found us here. She looks confused at first, but starts running towards us as soon as she recognises Sayaka in my arms... Why did it have to end like this...? Why!?

"Sayaka-chan!" They were pretty good friends, from what I understand, so it should probably be even worse for her than it is for me. But it still hurts me like hell, seeing Sayaka like this... "Sayaka-chan! What's wrong? Where is her Soul Gem? What happened to her?"

"Madoka, I'm sorry... Her Soul Gem... it turned into a Grief Seed. She became a Witch and died." Is this what Kyubey meant before? That 'something unfortunate'!? If I get my hands on that thing... that other girl, what's her face, looks just about as shocked as I feel, she collapses right in front of me... Damn it, why did this have to happen!? It's the same as back then, exactly the same...

"You're kidding... right?" Homura slowly walks up to Madoka and kneels down next to her, she puts an arm around her shoulder. So even she has something resembling compassion left, I guess...

"It's the truth. That's the final secret of the Soul Gems." Now she takes hers out and shows it to that girl, it's a rather bright violet. "When the gem gets tainted and turns black, we become Grief Seeds and turn into Witches. That's the unavoidable fate of all who become Magical Girls." Damn that Kyubey, so he tricked us even more than I thought at first. A train is passing by, but we don't really care for something like that right now...

"It's not true... Tell me it's not true... Please!" So in short, we're all fucked, royally screwed, whatever. Homura pulls that girl a little bit closer to herself, I guess she cares about her, for some reason... "That's... why?! She wanted to protect people from Witches... She wanted to become a hero of justice... That's the kind of Magical Girl she wanted to be... And yet..." Does she have to rub that in my face like this? I know, dammit! I know!

"She took the burden of the curse equal to that wish. She will live on now, causing suffering just as much as she was helping others earlier." I put Sayaka's body down... but she isn't responding, she almost looks as if she was just asleep... But she isn't. that girl is pushing off Homura's hand now and hugs Sayaka's body, she's crying... Just what the hell is going on here, why didn't anyone ever tell us!?

"You..." Homura pulls my arm and guides me a little bit away from Sayaka and that girl... "You should get rid of that body, discretely. Take care when you move it, you wouldn't want to get caught with it. Try to hide it so it won't be found, in the best case so it won't ever be found. It's your responsibility since you took her body with you." She can't be serious, can she!? Is she just throwing Sayaka away like that, like a piece of trash!?

"Are you even human!?" She looks a little bit sad for a moment, but quickly pushes it aside.

"Of course not. And neither are you." I want to hit her so bad...

...

The scene changes again, this time much faster. This is... one of the better hotel rooms, it's pretty much just below my room. Sayaka is lying on the bed and I take out my Soul Gem. It gives off a bright red light, but Sayaka still doesn't do anything, she really seems to be gone... Kyubey is here as well, but before I can understand anything he's saying the place fades away already, this is getting kind of confusing...

...

And a new scene emerges, this time I'm somewhere in the city, with Homura and that girl from before, Sayaka's best friend... we talk for a little bit, but I could only pick up some scraps of the conversation, her name seems to be Kaname Madoka. It's just some half-baked plan, from what I understood I want Madoka to call for Sayaka and get her to remember somehow while I protect her with Homura, but hey, it's better than doing nothing.

...

Once more the scene changes, we're back in the labyrinth, from what I can tell we're losing... If we went all out against it we'd probably be able to beat it, but that's Sayaka, for crying out loud! There's no way I could fight her like that before knowing for sure that it's impossible to save her, I don't know if I could do it if it was impossible... Homura is also a real help for me, she's protecting Madoka with her ability and helps me out when I need it.

"Sayaka-chan! Please, stop, we're all here for you...!" Madoka's words don't seem to reach her at all. The Witch just continues swinging her sword like a mad conductor, more and more wheels crash down onto the floor around me and I can't even block them all any longer, I'm way too tired already... I want to call out to her, I want it to be my voice that reaches her, not Madoka's, but I know it'd probably just upset her even more...

"We should withdraw if you don't want to kill it. We can't keep this up forever, we have to escape and let it continue, or we have to kill it right here." No matter how much I don't want to believe it, I know she's right. If we try to keep this up we'll be done for. My body hurts like hell, there's blood all over me and I can barely stay on my feet, even if I wanted to escape now I probably couldn't and somehow I rather want to stay here, with Sayaka...

"Homura... We need to protect that which is most important to us, no matter what. Go ahead and take Madoka out of here, just as I will protect what's the most important thing for me, I'll... take care of Sayaka." Homura gives me a strange look for a moment, as if she wanted to tell me not to do this, but I think she understands it. She nods and the next moment both her and Madoka are gone...

"Sayaka... I should've told you much sooner, but I do care for you, so very much... Well, you probably can't even hear me any more, but I want you to know that..." What is this me even saying? I can feel myself kneeling down and taking out my Soul Gem, then my body... I put my hands around it as if I was praying, I already understand what will happen next... It was foreseeable that this would be the eventual conclusion, I guess...

"I know how you must feel, I've been just as lonely back then, when I lost my family... But I won't leave you all alone here, I'll stay with you, no matter what!" Some great spears erupt from the ground, I know that this sort of magic will probably use up my Soul Gem... but even so, I wouldn't stop, even if that's how things will turn out, even if I had control over my body I wouldn't.

"Please, God... Look at the life I've lived, let me have a happy dream, for once in my life..." I haven't prayed since the day when **it** happened, that horrible day when all I wished for was destroyed by my father, a self-proclaimed 'man of God'... but I'm just not strong enough on my own and there's no one else left, if there is a benevolent god he'd surely listen to me, just this once... I kiss my Soul Gem, throw it into the air and...

...

"**SAYAKAAA!**" Just when my Soul Gem was about to reach its breaking point I come back to my senses, I can move again... I'm awake now, in my dirty little room, with the empty packaging and a bunch of broken pockys all over my futon, damn it... I hate it to waste food, even more so when there are crumbs all over my futon, but I don't even really care about that right now... I'm covered in sweat and feel as if I had a fever, was that just a nightmare...?

No, I don't think so, I was aware of how surreal it all felt. Though it was pretty strange to see and feel what happened to my body and what I did, but not being in control of it... I wonder if there's anything to it, if us Magical Girls would really turn into Witches once our Soul Gems get too tainted... Hmpf, thinking about it won't do me any good, what I need now are answers and I think I know where I could get some.

I collect all the pieces of pocky in the box which would still qualify as edible and my definition of that word is pretty generous. I have a couple of other boxes stored here, but I definitely won't waste any food, I vowed I'd never do that again... I should probably beat my futon sometime as well and bring the sheets and some clothes to the next laundry shop, but I have other priorities right now...

I open up the window and get out, afterwards I carefully close it again and change into my Magical Girl outfit to jump to the next roof. This way I'm much faster than running or walking through the streets. I only take that way if I want to think about something on the way. Homura's apartment is pretty close by, it might be a little bit strange for her if it was just some kind of silly nightmare, but if it wasn't...!

It's not as if I'd care about what she thinks of me anyway. For all I care she can think I'm crazy and what not, if that was the case I'd go and search myself a rat to interrogate... I'm pretty sure that at least one of them should know something about that if it has even a germ of truth. And if it does...? If it does we'll have to come up with a better plan than last time, or what we did in that dream or whatever it was... Here we are, I frantically bang against the door...

"Homura, open this door, right now!" It doesn't take her very long, after roughly two seconds the door already opens. Homura is standing right in front of me, in her usual attire, though there are dark circles around her eyes and she looks as if she'd fall back asleep any second... She looks pretty confused at first, but she quickly regains her composure and glares at me. I guess I'd react the same way if someone hauled me out of my bed, though I'd probably be a lot more violent.

"What, if I may ask, is the meaning of this? I don't think we agreed on three in the morning..." I just push myself past her and she closes the door right behind me, I guess she understands that this is something really important... That's right, this might be about Sayaka's life, I had to come here and confirm my suspicions or disperse them. I do hope it's the latter, but I get this lingering feeling that it's not... "Would you start explaining yourself now? Did you clash with Miki-san again or is it something else?"

"Uh, not really, though it is about her..." Homura raises an eyebrow and looks at me, though I'm not too sure whether she will believe me or not. She is the only one I can turn to, if this dream was true Kyubey absolutely can't be trusted. Not that he could be trusted to begin with, he didn't tell us anything about what happens to our souls after we make a contract with him... "You see, I had a strange dream about her..."

"Well, isn't that great? Sorry, I must have forgotten about inviting you over for a slumber party so we could interpret our dreams together. Oh goodness, I didn't even remember to buy any snacks in advance..." She rolls her eyes and looks about ready to kick me out for a moment, but I return her glare and I guess I got my point across... "So, what is this really about?"

"You see, in that dream... Sayaka's Soul Gem turned into a Grief Seed when it got too tainted..." Now she looks clearly confused and somewhat worried, so she might know something, otherwise she'd just laugh it off... "We were trying to get her to become Sayaka again by having Madoka calling out to that Witch, but it failed and I kind of ended up dying in the end, I guess. I send you and Madoka away and did something... Oh well. Could you interpret that dream for me?"

"So you remember..." 'Remember'!? Is she trying to say something like that really happened...? But that's ridiculous, if that was true it would be impossible for both Sayaka and myself to be alive right now... Well, I wouldn't even be surprised any longer, now that I know that we might just turn into Witches eventually... "Hm, it is a small chance, but I'm willing to grasp at straws. What do you want to do with this knowledge?"  
"Since you seem to know more about this than I do you should do the explaining, shouldn't you? It's not as if I knew anything about how we could prevent this from happening." What does she even mean, she's 'willing to grasp at straws'? Homura heaves a heavy sigh and takes a gun out of her shield all of a sudden, how does that thing even work...? "Hey, what do you think you're doing with that thing!?"

"I rather wouldn't have an eavesdropper, how about you?" I turn around and look into the same direction as she does, those red eyes... that damn little critter found his way in again.

"Just when it was about to get interesting... I know a lot more about these things than Homura could, you know? I could even help you..." I don't exactly trust Homura, but she seems to be the lesser evil in this case. Kyubey would probably just make things even worse than they already are... Though I don't understand why he does what he does I'm sure it wouldn't be in my best interest, not to mention Sayaka's...

"Get the hell outta here, or I'll stab you in the face again, no matter how many others of you would come back!" He'd probably just tell us more lies to manipulate us into doing whatever he thinks of as a favourable outcome, it's better if he's nowhere near us when we talk about these things...

"I get it, no need to be so aggressive... I will just wait and see what kind of a plan you might develop on your own..." Somehow it sounds as if he was mocking us just now, but he does leave... now we'll just have to figure out our next steps. I guess we'll have a long night ahead of ourselves, Homura will have to explain herself and then we need to think of some way to save Sayaka, no matter what...

...

**Author's note**: Well, we don't really have much more to say about this. Yet another new story, but this one is long overdue, we wanted to write a story about Sayaka and Kyouko for ages and since Daniel's helping me out again we got started right away. This pairing is our absolutely favourite one, seeing how it's our favourite anime with our favourite characters, music and art style, we just loved it.

If you detect any errors in terms of spelling and grammar, feel free to point them out. If there is anything contradicting the canon of Madoka Magica we'd ask you to point that out so that we may correct it if possible as well, we'll try to keep it close to what the canon established in some regards, but we aren't Gen Urobuchi and we like Kyouko x Sayaka, so there will most likely be things going against canon. Well, it will hopefully be bearable to read this...

If you'd want us to we could also use the 'Author's note' section in the future to elaborate on some questions you might have.

If you have a questions feel free to write us a review or a pm, we'll answer as soon as possible and if your question/statement is of interest to the whole audience we'll also address it in the next chapter, either in the story itself or as an addition of the 'Author's note' if it can't/shouldn't be answered in the story itself for some reason. Of course we won't spoil anything before it happens in the story, but you can still ask, maybe we failed to notice something as well.


	2. No going back

**Sayaka's POV**, after school

...

I didn't go to school today, I didn't even return home last night, I just looked for some Witches or Familiars to throw myself into battle again, that's all I'm good for, after all... I didn't find any, but someone has to search them, now that Mami-san is gone. I can't leave the people of this city to their demise, so what if the Familiars don't drop Grief Seeds!? What's their problem, if they didn't make a contract they'd be at the mercy of those creatures!

Today is the day, huh? Hitomi will steal Kamijou-kun away from me now, yet she called herself my friend just yesterday, it's so unfair... I was the one who always visited him, she just saw him again when he was able to return to school, because of my stupid wish...

I hide behind a pillar and watch them as they walk and talk by the riverside, past a small waterfall, on a bench, it looks so romantic... It should be me, walking there next to him, talking to him, confessing to him; but it's Hitomi! They seem to get along so well, both of them don't care about me at all! Why!? I bet they didn't even notice I was missing today! I almost want to jump out there and cut them to...!

What am I even thinking?! I should really be ashamed of myself, Mami-san would never want someone like me to be her ally, if I think like that I can't be a hero of justice... That's right, I shouldn't even care about Kamijou-kun and Hitomi, he isn't worth it if he's just as superficial as her... So why?! Why do I feel like crying?! I can't be a hero if I'm this weak, crying just because of this...

'Who cares about all that crap anyways...? Love, justice... You know, Kyouko was right, if you want your Kamijou-kun all to yourself you should just go out there and kill Hitomi, afterwards you can break him and make him yours...' That's not... That's not true at all, I'd never do something like that, I could never...! It's just useless, everything. Love, justice, friendship; I'd be better off without any of those...

It hurts so much, but it's true, I should just throw all of that away, if I fight with hatred and give in to that impulse of destruction I'm strong, I can kill Familiars and even Witches that way. It'd probably even be enough for those two... We shouldn't fight against each other, but they are enemies of humanity, I can't allow that...! I feel so heavy, this anger is all that's keeping me above the deep and dark waters, without it I'd just drown... I have to find something to...!

...

"**HRAAAA!**" I finally found some, I put all my force into my attacks and cut through them, they almost look like humans... I scream as I slash them, but it doesn't bring me the satisfaction it did before, it feels so pointless... They don't even manage to hit back, they're all destroyed already... It was too easy, they were too small; but still, I'm struggling for air... I undo my transformation, it's already this late... Wait, someone's coming... her!

"Why don't you understand? We wouldn't have time for this, even under normal circumstances. Hunt only Witches." I kind of wonder what it would be like to cut through human flesh, or much rather the flesh of another Magical Girl... Would it be any different from the Witch I cut down? Would their blood also splash all over the place...? It's so difficult not to try it, but I can't just do that, can I? I'd be no better than they are...

"Gee, thanks a ton for that advise." It's useless either way, all we can do is destroy Witches and Familiars, it doesn't matter whether we use a Grief Seed or not, it doesn't change anything in the long run... If we die Kyubey will just fool some other girls into becoming Magical Girl and everything starts over again, regardless of what we do... I don't really care, all I have left to do is to die, then I can be happy and won't have to worry about anything any more.

"Your Soul Gem is at its limit. If you don't cleanse it..." If I don't cleanse it I'll probably just die, then I won't have to worry about anything any longer, I'd just be dead and that would be that. "Use this, please..." Oh, did she just stoop low enough to ask properly? This must be really important if she'd go that far, haha... She throws a Grief Seed to my feet, but I don't care about these things, I simply kick it with my heel, off into the darkness behind me.

"What are you plotting now?" I don't know what exactly it was, but something about those words seemed to hit home with her. It looked so satisfying, seeing her 'perfect' mask crumble away like that, even if it was for just a moment...

"Grow up. This is no time to be suspicious. Do you hate being saved that much?" If I accepted their help or anything else from them I'd be no better than them, the Grief Seeds they have are tainted with the blood of the ones who were consumed by the Familiars who grew to be Witches because of them. If I accepted something like that I could just as well run around and kill innocent bystanders, it'd be no different from what they indirectly do...

"I'm going to be a different Magical Girl than you lot. I'm sure of it. I hate people who'd just use and abandon someone. I need no reward. I'll never use magic for my own benefit!" That's right, I didn't use my wish, my soul, because I wanted Kamijou-kun to notice me; I did it because it was the right thing to do! That won't ever change, no matter what kind of a person he is, it doesn't matter if he won't look at me...

"You're dying." Haha, as if I didn't feel it already, every breath of air I inhale is more difficult than the last one; every movement drains me of what little energy I've left... I'm drowning, but I don't mind at all.

"Once I'm dead that means I don't have to kill any more Witches. I'll finally have completed my task. I'm okay with that." I can't even stay on my own feet any longer, I fall on my knees right in front of her... "I can't even beat a Witch! I have no reason to exist!" That's right, I only managed to kill two Witches during my whole time as a Magical Girl and I didn't even manage to kill that last one on my own. I'm a complete failure, at everything...

"So why are you doing this? I just want to help you. Why won't you believe me?"

"I'm not sure. I think it's just intuition. I can tell you're a liar." I look up at her again, this time with a darker look than before. I won't let her deceive me, no matter what. I won't be used by anyone any more..."You always look like you've given up on everything. You're always speaking empty words. And right now, you say you're doing this for my sake, but I bet you're really after something completely different. Don't think you can fool me."

"Don't you know how much you're hurting Madoka?" Of course I know how much I'd hurt her, that's one of the reasons why I didn't come back to school or back home, I want to die like this, all alone... If a witch does it they'll never even find my body, no one will have to worry about me at all. Isn't that the best fate us Magical Girl can hope for either way? Mami-san didn't have it bad at all, it was a quick and painless death, is it so much to ask for the same...?

"Madoka? She has nothing to do with this." I convulse my hand a little bit, somewhere I know that it isn't that easy for me; in a way I can almost envy Mami-san now for not having anyone to leave behind except for Madoka and myself. They didn't even notice she was missing until almost a week had passed... My parents would probably even come home for something this big and they'd be just as worried as Madoka. Though Kamijou-kun and Hitomi probably wouldn't even come to my funeral if my body was found, somehow...

"No... everything revolves around her." What does she mean by that...? Maybe she is just like Kyubey, after the potential Madoka seems to have... I can't allow that! She changes into her Magical Girl uniform... "You're sharp. In fact, you're exactly correct. I don't want to help you. I simply don't want Madoka to have to watch your fall. If you refuse my aid, only death awaits you. If you hurt Madoka any more... I'll kill you myself right now, Miki Sayaka." Her Soul Gem is dazzling me with its light...

"Do it. If it's better for Madoka, for everyone..." That's all I can manage, I take out my Soul Gem and offer it to her, it would be for the best if I just died here either way. I have nothing left, Kamijou-kun doesn't care about me and I hurt Madoka too much already... It'd be better if this would end now, I wouldn't have to worry about anything any more, I could just rest... Somehow I believe her this time, she is honest about Madoka, so I have nothing to worry about. She can take care of her once I am no more...

"That's... I will... I'll really shoot you, I won't hesitate!" She makes a gun appear out of her shield, I just hold my Soul Gem out to her... Why is her hand shaking? Wasn't she just saying she wouldn't hesitate...? I can hear steps further down the hall... A civilian? Not around this time... I'm suddenly knocked back by something, I don't even feel it, I just realise it as my field of view changes... Before me is Akemi Homura, on the ground, someone tied her up...

"Quick! Run away!" That red hair, is that... Kyouko? It really is, that thing holding the transfer student in place is her strange spear... I don't really understand why, but my body obeys her to its best ability. I slowly get up and move away, though even my movements rather remind me of a zombie from those movies now; it's more of a stumbling than running, it would almost be a miracle if I won't fall down soon...

...

**Kyouko's POV**

...

"What's wrong with you!? You were supposed to be saving her!" Not to mention what has to be wrong with Sayaka right now, if Homura didn't hesitate for some reason she'd be dead now... Why did she have to reject that Grief Seed!?

"Let me go." This is definitely somewhat amusing...

"Oh, I get it. If I've got a grip on you, you can't use that technique of yours." That sound again... A grenade!? I quickly jump back as she pulls the trigger, just after that she vanishes and the grenade explodes... I'm thrown to the ground by the force of the explosion, but I guess that was lucky, under the circumstances. It was a flash grenade, so I was lucky that I didn't look at it, but I've lost Homura and Sayaka... I stomp on the ground in frustration. "Damn it!"

There's no helping it, I'll just have to search her by foot, I just hope Homura didn't go after her... I can still sense some traces of her Soul Gem; if this feeling is anything to go by she's almost overflowing with negative energy, this isn't good at all... At least I can follow that, though my instincts are basically screaming 'fight-or-flight'... Hmpf, screw them, I'm going after her, I'll get her back, this time for sure, not like that other timeline...

...

**Sayaka's POV**, on the train

...

I guess I got away from the transfer student, I somehow made it to this train. Though I don't know why I even bothered, it would've probably been better if I just let her do it; it's not as if I had enough fight left in me to even finish off a Familiar, not to mention a Witch... Why did Kyouko even try to make me run away, it's not as if she got anything out of it... Well, who cares? It's just Kyouko, after all, I couldn't care less, isn't that right...?

"Gimme a fuckin' break! She already blew all the cash I gave her! Dumb bitches don't know how to hold onto money, I tell ya." And those two idiots, just my luck, of all the people that could've been here it has to be two pigs like them...

"Women may as well not even be human. They're like dogs or something. They get excited like a goddamn puppy. But all you need to do to shut 'em up is give 'em a good smacking. Slacken the leash a little bit and they're all over the damn couch. Can't let 'em get too comfortable. What, you think a bar slut like you is gonna be doing that well ten years from now? Know your fuckin' place, right?"

Those people... I fight to protect worthless trash like them as well...? It would be better if a Witch got them, they'd deserve something like that... Or maybe I should do the world a favour and do it myself... What little magic I have left would still be more than enough for them. I should paint this place with their blood, maybe that would bring me the relief I hoped to get from fighting those Familiars... I get up and walk towards them, slowly...

"Man, you're good at dumping them when they end up more trouble than what they're worth. I need to learn your tricks." I have enough of them, I just want to shut them up... or maybe have them scream out with a fraction of the pain I feel...

"Tell me more about her." These two... if they're even close to as bad as they seem, wouldn't it be better to kill them right here...?

"What?"

"About the woman you're talking about. I want to hear more about her." There should be laws against the very existence of scumbags like this. It would be so easy to just reach out and break their weak little necks, to wring the life out of them, to slice them into pieces...!

"Hey, babe, you're too young to be out this late." Doesn't he even realise how much he has to be hurting her!? Maybe he really doesn't know it, doesn't understand it, just as Kamijou-kun doesn't understand my feelings...

"She cares about you. She works hard to make you happy. You understand that, don't you? But you treat her like a dog. You don't even thank her. When she does something you don't like, you dump her." This is the world... I was protecting until now. this world, where everything is so wrong; this world, where people like them don't just exist, they thrive; this world, where one of my friends steals Kamijou-kun from me, just like that...

"What, you know her or somethin'?" I want them to understand, but if that's not possible I will... I will...!

"No..." The brakes, I'll be getting off at the next station, otherwise...

"Is this world worth protecting? What have I been fighting for? Tell me! Tell me right away! Otherwise..." I can feel the darkness all around me, it's enveloping me, it's making me stronger! With this strength, it would be so easy, so damn easy to just crush them! They're stuttering in front of me, like frightened little pigs when the butcher comes by... it would be so easy to let go of these few things keeping me from doing that, so very easy...

"W-what the hell!? What's goin' on here, man!? H-help me!" I grab him by the throat with my right hand and push him against the wall, I can't even see him any more, it's all so grey and dark... his so-called 'friend', I guess, is cowering away from me, there's nothing that could save him now... I slowly lift him up, into the air, he's making gurgling noises and struggling, but I don't even feel his kicks, they don't affect me at all... I materialise a sword and push it against his chest...

"You will go back to that woman and apologise, do you understand me? I asked you a question... **DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?**" My voice sounds so strange, but it seems to work... His eyes widen and he nods frantically; I could just push the sword into his chest and he'd never do something like that again... No, this isn't me! Damn it, what am I even doing!? I throw the man away and put my sword away, this isn't something I can do... "If I ever hear you talking like this again... I won't hesitate...!"

They're both cowering away from me now, as if I was some kind of a monster... Maybe that's not even too far from the truth, what I almost did right now... Mami-san would be ashamed for that, and Madoka, my family, Kamijou-kun... I push back against the darkness this time, I push it away from me, but it's still lingering all around me... That hissing sound... the doors open, I stumble out of the wagon while the frightened men stay.

The train departs again, I almost did something I would never be able to undo back there... I get to the closest bank and let my body slump into it, standing is too much of a hassle at this point. My body is barely responding to my orders now, it's so hard to even breathe in air... I should rest for a little bit, it shouldn't be much longer now. I won't live much longer, I have nothing to keep me alive, absolutely no reason...

...

"I finally found ya..." ... Kyouko...? I can't even tell how long I've been sitting here, I don't feel much better... She takes a seat next to me and takes out something, presumably something to eat. "How long are you gonna keep blowing off your friends?" Sounds like potato crisps or something like that... and what 'friends' is she even talking about...? There was only Madoka, I don't have any other friends any more... Wait, she probably isn't my friend any more, after what I told her, so...

"Sorry to bother you." I didn't want anyone to be here with me, I just wanted to be all alone and die already, but I guess that won't be happening... well, it's not as if it would be bad for Kyouko to see this, I'll just die, it shouldn't concern her.

"What's wrong? You're not acting like yourself." I don't even know what it is, but to be honest...

"I just don't care any more. What do I even care about any more? Who do I want to protect? I don't even know any more." What was even so important that I thought I'd have to protect it, so important that I sacrificed my very soul to accomplish it...? I don't even know any more...

"Hey..." I finally find enough strength in myself to move again, I take out my Soul Gem... It's almost black now, it shouldn't last much longer. Kyouko looks pretty surprised, but I knew that it would probably looks like this; it looks like the depths of the sea, where almost no light reaches... Soon it will be deep enough for no light to reach there at all, in my soul... She takes out a Grief Seed and holds it out to me, but I just push her hand away with what little strength I have left. It rolls off, somewhere into the darkness...

"The balance of hope and despair is always zero. You said so yourself. I understand what you meant now. I've saved plenty of people." I take it a little bit closer to my face and stare into it, it almost looks as if something was moving in it, calling for me... 'Maybe it would've been better if you didn't save those people from the Witch, then Hitomi wouldn't have...' "But in exchange, resentment and pain took root in my heart. I'm even hurting my dearest friend now."

"Sayaka! Are you-!?" She sounds genuinely worried now, but it's just too late already... My last chance to save myself, I threw it away just now. But I don't regret doing that, it's for the best, no matter how I look at it, I **should** die here...

"As much as I wished for the happiness of one... Someone else must be equally cursed. That's how the story of a Magical Girl goes..." I can't even hold in my tears any longer, they just flow down. Right in front of Kyouko, of all people... I didn't curse Hitomi for my misery, I took it all upon myself... I do my best to offer her one last smile, in spite of my tears. If I have to die anyways I want it to be like this, with a smile... "I've been... such a fool."

...

**Homura's POV**, some minutes ago, at the fountain

...

I made it just in time again, like last time. Madoka was just about to make a contract with Kyubey to save Miki Sayaka, but that would be Madoka's downfall and it didn't save Miki-san either, in the long run... I shouldn't have hesitated back then, I should have pulled the trigger and helped her out of her misery, she even asked for it... But I didn't, it would've been the first time I'd kill someone, I'm just not ready... yet. If this isn't the last timeline I have to go through I will probably end up doing that as well, especially if it's her.

Miki-san... I can't say we ever got along very well, not in any of the timelines I've been through so far, every time she became a Magical Girl something went terribly wrong, she always ended up turning into a Witch... Even if it isn't really her fault, her stupid ideals can't do anything but lead her to such an end; those values don't work for us. I take out a gun and shoot it, this way Madoka can't make a contract.

It is for the best, Miki Sayaka cannot be saved, no matter what I did. Keeping her alive only makes matters worse for me, she will probably just convince Madoka that she should make some stupid wish; if that did happen this timeline is over and I will have to restart everything. It shouldn't take much longer, she will soon turn into a Witch... but this time I won't agree to help Kyouko with her insane plans. I would destroy that Witch, but Kyouko doesn't take it very well and either attacks me or turns to a Witch herself if I kill that Witch... I let time resume and the bullets pierce it.

"W-what...?" Madoka looks rather scared, but even so, I had to do it. I don't want Madoka to think badly of me, but there is no way around that, if I want to save her I have no other choice... That's right, I will do anything, just to save her. If that means I'll have to face Walpurgisnacht with Kyouko or on my own, so be it. Tomoe Mami already died of her own folly, she is another one of those persons I just can't seem to get along with... "That's just too cruel... Why did you do this!?"

"Madoka..." It's so hard to keep this up, to stay strong in front of Madoka. I don't care about the others that much any more, I lost any faith I had in them in all those different timelines... Tomoe Mami, she went mad with the revelation of our eventual fate and killed Sakura Kyouko and tried to kill me as well, but Madoka stopped her... Miki Sayaka, she either became a Witch or caused other problems... and Sakura Kyouko, she always went down with Miki-san. I think we have some things in common, always trying to save that one person, always failing...

"Why!?" It's almost time, soon Miki Sayaka will become a Witch, as she already did so often... I have to keep Madoka here, I can't allow her to witness that horrific sight. It's almost heartbreaking to see her last moments, even for someone like me. She tries to stay strong and rejects any help until her very last moment and I do feel sorry for her... but I accept that, it's impossible to prevent because she won't let others help her and once she transforms there's no return.

"It... was necessary. Don't worry about it, another one will arrive here soon." Of course Madoka doesn't understand it yet. It doesn't matter how many of them I kill, there are always more. They aren't sentient, they are the same as mass-produced robots. Incubator... I wonder what exactly they are, Kyubey is just a messenger... but there is no way of knowing that, they hide their secrets very well. But what should I do about Madoka...?

"W-what are you even talking about? You killed him!" She sobs a little bit as she does her best to look away from the corpse of it. She is too good for her own good... that's why she always suffers in the end, because she makes some stupid wish for someone else... It doesn't make much of a difference whether it's a wish for oneself or someone else, they are always likely to turn into nightmares and our eventual fate is all the same. "What about... Sayaka-chan?"

"You should give up on her, Sakura Kyouko is trying to save her, but you shouldn't get your hopes up; that would be in vain." So far I have witnessed no timeline where she succeeded and I repeated this month more times than I can even keep track of... sometimes someone remembers a little fragment from a different timeline, though I don't know why that is, but it rarely changes anything and even if it does that's rarely for the better...

"But Sayaka-chan is my best friend! I can't just give up on her like that, I can't!" I have to admit that I feel a certain envy towards Miki-san as well, she is the closest friend of Madoka. If I act as I do I can't ever hope to get close to Madoka again... but if that is what it takes to save her I will do it. Even if I have to push her away from me, she might even end up hating me. But as long as Madoka makes it through this I don't care what happens to me or anyone else...

"I know that very well, but please believe me, I'm not saying this to hurt you..." I know that it does hurt her, but maybe she will understand it this time and not wish Miki-san back... I much rather wouldn't have to deal with her any more, to be honest, she would probably just set Madoka and Kyouko up against me, if she could. She might seem to be an idiot and that might be true for the most part, but she can be surprisingly resourceful when it comes to dragging others down with her...

"I... I don't want to believe you, Sayaka-chan can't be...!" *Sigh* That notion is understandable, they were friends for many years now. But it won't do her any good to believe in Miki-san any longer, it won't bring her back and only a Grief Seed could save her now, but she won't take it... I tried forcing her to use one once, that didn't work. I never understood why or how, but she rejected the one I offered to her somehow and turned to a Witch immediately...

"Madoka... Please, trust me, just this once, don't make a contract with Kyubey!" If only she didn't make a contract, I'd 'just' have to worry about Walpurgisnacht, if I can convince Kyouko to aid me we could probably defeat it this time. It didn't work in the earlier timelines, but I'm not that weak any more. I can fight now and Kyouko would be my first choice as a partner, Mami never lasted long in that fight, Madoka isn't an option and Miki-san never makes it that far...

"I can't, not if you're saying that Sayaka-chan will..." Her reactions so far... I will probably have to reset this timeline as well, though I'm not willing to give up just yet. Not until there really is nothing that can be done about it. Miki-san... She really is a problem, I can't tell how she does it, but I can't seem to fool her... I don't know what it is with her, but she can tell when I lie, no matter what kind of an act I put up...

"Madoka... I will go and try to rescue her, if that is what you want me to. However, if I fail I want you to accept her fate and you won't wish her back, can you accept that?" I can still try it, though it's most likely too late already. I can sense the cursed air she had about herself even here, a Witch born from such curses is truly a terrifying opponent... I only remember beating it with the help of Mami, Kyouko and Madoka, had they not weakened it first...

"I... that's..." And there was that time when Kyouko sacrificed herself to destroy it, but I shouldn't let that happen. I will need her if I want to stand a chance against Walpurgisnacht... Miki Sayaka truly is much more of a problem than I thought at first, she ruined a lot of timelines all on her own..."I will accept... but only if you do everything in your power to save her, alright? If you promise that I'll accept..."

"Very well, I will do whatever I can do to save her, though I would still advise against getting your hopes up." Maybe this timeline isn't lost just yet, after all... Of course I'm not referring to Miki-san, but if Madoka keeps her promise I might be able to save her! Though I also shouldn't get my hopes up; no Magical Girl should, that only serves to make us succumb to despair even sooner... I have to be patient if I want to save Madoka. No matter how many times, I can always turn time back...

"H-Homura-chan, wait..." I turn around and look at her once more, she looks strangely... relieved? This isn't the way things would usually be, she would run after Miki-san or cry here, but this reaction is something I haven't seen yet. There are a lot of strange things in this timeline, that could be a good sign... or a sign of an impending catastrophe. "Regardless of what will happen next, I want to thank you..."

"If you want to thank me do so by not making a contract with Kyubey, that's all I ask for. You should go home." It is a little bit bothersome that most timelines are quite different from the others, otherwise I could learn about the reactions of the others and act accordingly, but their behaviour changes ever so slightly with every new timeline... sometimes they seem exactly the same like one of the others to a certain point, like this one, but what will happen next...

I can't quite tell. Things could go as they did last time, if they do I will have to think of a way to prevent Kyouko from sacrificing herself, she is the last Magical Girl in the vicinity... It would all be much easier if Miki-san had accepted the Grief Seed; but she never did use one when it was necessary, not even once... I can't tell why that is, but she seems to reject them completely. Considering their true nature that would probably be very ethical, but ethics aren't something we can affort and she shouldn't know that to begin with.

It is surprising that Miki Sayaka hasn't become a Witch already, it was always around this time... Could it be that Kyouko somehow convinced her, that she made her use a Grief Seed...? If that was to be true I will have to consider this timeline 'irregular', it deviates from the 'regular' timelines too much, though there hasn't been one of those which had a favourable outcome for me these timelines are still my best bet to reach my desired goa-

W-what was that?! I could feel a tremendous amount of energy just now, it almost felt like a shockwave passing through here... I have never felt anything like this, it reminds me a little bit of the timelines when Madoka became a Magical Girl, but it isn't the quite same. I can't really tell how it's different, but it is... it came from the same direction where Miki-san went off to, I need to hurry... What did those idiots do!? If they both turned into Witches I can forget about this timeline, but I really can't place that feeling...

...

**Kyouko's POV**, at the station

...

"I finally found ya..." Finding her wasn't really the difficult part though, I could probably even get a vague feeling of this negative energy from the other end of the city... The only reason it took me so long was because I had to follow her by foot, since she was using a train it took a while to catch up to her. She doesn't even look up from her seat, her beautiful blue hair is completely hiding her eyes. I'm glad I arrived here in time... I take the seat next to her and take out some crisps. "How long are you gonna keep blowing off your friends?"

"Sorry to bother you." I eat one of them, but I'm really worried now; this didn't sound good at all, it sounds wrong, something like that coming from Sayaka. Where did all that fight she had in herself go? She'd have a sharp reply for me any other day, but right now she sounds just as a hero would if he was defeated; if all of his dreams were lying shattered in front of him... it really hurts me to see her like this, she used to be so bright...

"What's wrong? You're not acting like yourself." Seriously, it's almost as if someone had replaced her with a doll or something... The Sayaka I know would be swinging her sword around with 'righteous fury' and go on and on with a grand speech about heroism and justice or something like that. Well, that could be a little bit exaggerated, but I'd still feel much more comfortable if she did something like that, she's kinda creeping me out right now...

"I just don't care any more. What do I even care about any more? Who do I want to protect? I don't even know any more." Damn it, she seems to be doing worse than I thought... She never once doubted her wish, no matter how many times I told her how stupid that was; she always went ahead and defended it, not once did she doubt that... It reminds me a lot of how I used to be after **it** had happened...

"Hey..." I almost want to reach out for her, but that would probably just agitate her even further. She opens her hands and reveals what she was hiding there, that thing... Is that her Soul Gem?! It looks exactly as it did in my dream, it's almost black! Holy cow, I knew that this might happen eventually, but this soon!? I should've recognised this scene, it looks exactly as it did in that dream... I quickly take out a Grief Seed and offer it to her, but she weakly pushes my hand aside. It rolls off and disappears in a drain, I consider following it, but there's no time...!

"The balance of hope and despair is always zero. You said so yourself. I understand what you meant now. I've saved plenty of people." Damn it, I was the one who had to tell her that... I didn't know she'd take it this way, I should be more careful with her in the future, if she even has one... But now that the Grief Seed is gone, what should I do?! "But in exchange, resentment and pain took root in my heart. I'm even hurting my dearest friend now."

"Sayaka! Are you-!?" Why does she have to be so resigned to her damn fate!? I should've told her what would happen earlier, but I didn't realise she was this far already, I thought I'd have more time... I just got here, I didn't have a chance to talk to her before because Homura was trying to kill her, despite what we agreed on earlier. I have to think of something, fast, if I don't come up with some kind of plan...

"As much as I wished for the happiness of one... Someone else must be equally cursed. That's how the story of a Magical Girl goes..." She's smiling and crying at the same time now, she's frickin' serious about this crap! Think, Kyouko, think! Let's see, I need a Grief Seed, but I have none and can't get that one back in time... A Soul Gem turns into a Grief Seed, when tainted enough... No time to think this through, I'll try it! "I've been... such a fool."

I snatch her Soul Gem out of her hand, she doesn't even resist any more. It's the centre of all these negative energies around here, but I need to try it... If a Soul Gem can turn into a Grief Seed it might just be able to substitute as a Grief Seed as well. I have no idea what might happen if I do this, but I push her Soul Gem against my own. That's the only thing I could come up with, it seems logical enough, right...? As I push them together a dazzling light shines, it's almost blinding me, and...

"**AAARRGH! FUUUUCK!**" DAMMIT! This frickin' hurts! It feels as if I was set on fire, my whole body hurts so much right now! Is this what she went through this whole time!? I press our Soul Gems together even stronger, I can't let go now... it feels as if every part of my body was either cut, bruised, set on fire or had a broken bone underneath; though they don't really appear I can still feel them, so many different kinds of pain at once...! I have to stay strong, I have to...!

"Stop it, just leave me alone!" It seems as if it did something, Sayaka is moving again, she even gets up... I barely see it because of the tears in my eyes, this pain is really something else... Damn it, I've never felt this horrible, if it gets any worse I'll collapse on the spot... After some more seconds the pain finally subsides slightly, though I feel completely exhausted... "Why did you do that...? I wanted to die here, I was supposed to die here..."

"You know what...? Maybe you're right, maybe I should've left you alone, maybe I should've killed you the day when I first met you!" W-what's... what am I saying...? I suddenly feel so angry, I just want to grab her and...! What's going on here!? Why am I thinking something like that...? I shouldn't do that, I should... "You know, now that I think 'bout it, it's not too late to fix that just yet, is it?"

"What are you talking about? Why did you try to help me in the first place if that's what you think...?" She looks confused and hurt, but as I change into my battle gear she follows suit. I put our Soul Gems into one of my pockets, though they feel kind of strange... and materialise my spear, she already has her sword in hand. If I don't get my act together soon this will all have been in vain... But this anger! I just want to... 'I want to pierce her with my spear, I want to rip her apart with my bare hands! Maybe that'd ease this pain as well...'

"Alright, let's get this started!" I rush forward with my spear, but she blocks it without too much trouble, she's gotten better at this... but why isn't she fighting back...? I throw her one blow upon the other, but she just evades my attacks and parries some others, she isn't even taking me serious...! You just wait, I'll show ya! I let my spear split into many different pieces connected by a long chain, it coils around her, I've got her... I need to stop, but... with my magic I push the tip of the spear through her stomach from behind.

"Gah... Kyouko... why...?" She's still moving!? She's coming closer, despite my spear being pierced through her abdomen and the other parts coiling around her, what is she!? Her sword falls to the ground with a loud *clang* and both it and her outfit vanish... She stops just in front of me and falls to her knees... she lifts her head to look into my eyes, those beautiful blue orbs, she looks so... I don't know why, but my anger feels as if it was dissipating, leaving a sensation of emptiness and despair in its stead... my hands fall to my sides, my armour and my spear vanish, releasing her... what have I...?

"Sayaka... I didn't... I didn't mean to... I'm so sorry!" I feel the tears rising to my eyes yet again as I throw my arms around her back and hold her as close to me as I can, but that won't make this alright again. It's just the same as back then, I try to make everything right and end up destroying what's most important to me... **WHY!?** I bury my face in her shoulder, she has such a nice smell... I can still feel the pain of my body, but it's negligible in comparison... "I'm so sorry, so goddamn sorry! **SAYAKA!**"

"It was probably... the same for you. It's... alright, it doesn't... even hurt... any more." She lifts her left arm and pushes me away with very little force; I feel a little bit dejected, but what else should I expect? I ain't some goddamn prince or knight with a white horse and shining armour and Sayaka isn't my princess... still, I need to do something about this, there has to be something... "What's... wrong? You're not acting... like..." She closes her eyes and her hand falls onto her stomach, she looks so peaceful, this isn't good... I gently put her down, my hands are dyed red with her...

"Dammit, I'm sorry, Sayaka...!" This... I have to... there has to be something I can... Grief Seed...! That has to be the reason why I felt so angry, this has to mean it worked, it's the taint... I need a Grief Seed, quick... there's a pool of blood forming below Sayaka, I need that damn Grief Seed! Where did that stupid thing roll off to!? The drain! I stumble a little bit as I walk towards it, I try to push it open with all my strength, my body still hurts horribly...

Finally, I managed to push the manhole cover away; it's pretty dark in there, but I spot the Grief Seed immediately, it glistens slightly... at least it didn't roll away any further, I reach inside and take it out. I was so stupid, letting my anger take over like this. Please, don't let me fail again! I hurry back to Sayaka, she's just lying there, with her eyes closed... wait, what happened to that wound I inflicted on her...? I'm sure that happened, the blood is still there, so how can this be...? She's in her school uniform again, but it doesn't look dirty at all...

Whatever, I don't care. I need to use that stupid Grief Seed, right now! Where is her Soul Gem!? I go through her pockets, but there's just her wallet and other useless stuff... Wait, I'm such an idiot, I took it with me. I reach inside the pocket where I put our Soul Gems, but there's definitely something wrong... there's only one Soul Gem, don't tell me I lost one, that would be bad... I take it out, it's heavier than mine... might be Sayaka's, works for me. Though I'll need a fix as well, considering what I used mine for...

I put the Grief Seed next to the Soul Gem in my hand, it's way too dark to see what colour it used to have before... and there's the taint, it looks like black smoke as it leaves the Soul Gem and moves to the Grief Seed. After a moment the colour becomes clear again I can see red above the vanishing taint, so it has to be mine... I guess I'll have to look for hers, should be enough for both of us. Wait... as the taint continues to vanish there's another colour as well, what's going on here...?

Well, at least I don't feel so angry any more. I guess I was right, that was because of the taint... The red colour of my Soul Gem stays above, but further down, around the middle, I can see how that colour is somehow changing; there's a very small line of violet and below that it's still black... Just what the hell's goin' on here!? Did I break it by trying to use it as a Grief Seed or what...?

Whatever, I'll take a closer look at that later, for now I need to find Sayaka's Soul Gem. Where could it have gone...? I take a look at Sayaka, she seems to be doing okay, considering the circumstances. At least she's breathing this time... I go through her pockets once more, her heartbeat is steady and she feels warm, but there's nothing useful... right now it looks as if she was just sleeping peacefully... though the other side of her uniform is probably ruined because of all that blood on the ground, but that's not really important. She's alive, that's all that matters to me.

At least she's gotten a little bit better, when I got here her breathing was like that of a fish out of water... but it's all good now, I don't know how I did it, but I somehow did it. If nothing else there's not a gigantic mermaid knight in heavy armour throwing around with strange wheels, I think that's a pretty good sign. I'm not sure if it's over just yet, but I should have time for a quick breather for the time being, as soon as I find her Soul Gem...

"Sakura Kyouko... what is the meaning of this?" Or not... Huh, I already figured Homura would stop by sooner or later, though I'm glad she didn't come sooner... Whatever I've done, I think it worked out somehow, though I still feel a little bit strange... the exhaustion and the pain from before are gone now. I guess that was the accumulated pain and the negative emotions Sayaka suppressed all that time, how did she manage to do that? Those few seconds of it were like hell...

"I ain't got a clue, maybe you can tell me 'bout it? I was kinda out of options because Sayaka made me drop the Grief Seed I had with me, so I went ahead and tried to use my Soul Gem as a replacement, looks like it worked." Somehow I feel great right now, as if I could take on Walpurgisnacht on my own; though that'd probably be a rather silly idea... still, I feel stronger than ever, was that Grief Seed special in some way? It was the one Sayaka gave me, kinda...

"May I take a look at your Soul Gems?" She looks somewhat surprised and actually kind of curious, I guess she didn't expect this to happen. She told me how it went in some of those different timelines and I don't think she was joking about that stuff; as unbelievable as it sounds it makes sense, she was always in the right spot at the right time, though things didn't really go as she described them this time, I guess...

"Well, I only have one. But sure, look all you want." Of course I wouldn't hand it over, but I hold it out to her. Looks as if the Grief Seed is replete with the taint now, I'll have to give it to Kyubey sometime. I take a look at the Soul Gem in my hand and let out a surprised noise, just like Homura... the upper half is still as red as it used to be, but the lower half... What the heck is that supposed to mean?! It's a bright blue, almost turquoise, that's not how it's supposed to look... How is this possible? Just what happened...?

"I don't understand this at all, how is that possible...?" Huh, just when I was thinking about him. I thought he'd show up, he was somewhat interested in what would come of this, otherwise he wouldn't have mentioned what was going on with Sayaka... maybe he can explain this somehow, I don't have a clue about this... though it doesn't really sound like he could... "What transpired here...?"

"I would like to ask you that very same question, Incubator..." That's Kyubey's 'real' name', according to Homura.. He actually looks a little bit confused about that as well, if that's even possible for him. He comes a little bit closer, he really reminds me of a weird alien cat when he moves like that... I really want some answers. I think I did the right thing, but that's my soul we're talkin' about here, so I want to know what happened to it...

"Well, I don't really know what happened... I just tried to use my Soul Gem to cleanse Sayaka's and afterwards they ended up like this, I guess..." I just hope Kyubey knows something about how to fix this, if he doesn't... I don't think Sayaka would take these news very well, though I'm feeling surprisingly calm. Considering the most likely explanation for this Soul Gem I'm holding in my right hand... I take the Grief Seed and throw it at him, he catches it and it's gone.

"I would have a lot of questions for you as well, Akemi Homura, but we have no time for that right now. I will have to process this new information and postulate an extension to my current theories concerning the nature and interdependency of Soul Gems. I will inform you once we have a conceivable explanation for this." Great, so in other words I'm on my own on this one, though Sayaka is probably stuck with me, judging by the colours of that Soul Gem... Hm, I guess it ain't so bad, at least it's better than the alternative.

"Uh, I guess I'll leave Miki-san in your care... Take her home with you or something, she's your responsibility now." What!? Before I can even ask her what that's supposed to mean she just flips back her hair and vanishes, I guess I don't have much of a choice... I could probably carry her all the way to her home, but that'd be way too far away, as if I'd do that... and I definitely can't leave her here in her condition. I guess I'll just 'rent a room' for tonight, hopefully she'll wake up tomorrow as if nothing had happened and be somewhat reasonable...

...

**Author's note**: Just a reminder, this section has no relevance to the story, feel free to skip it. Yay for (*Cough* slave labour *Cough*) motivating Daniel to write a little bit faster because he'll be sick for a while, here's the next chapter already. Hm, I'm not too sure about what we did here, but it's been done now and why not?

Even Kyubey doesn't understand Soul Gems completely and we'll specify those things later on a little bit, though I don't wanna spoil anything and neither of us has a diploma on Soul Gem physics and chemistry, but who cares, Kyubey himself failed at normal physics... by the way, you shouldn't expect the next chapter to come out this soon, though there's a very simple way to get the next chapter sooner. You just have to... ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

Forget it, I guess you'll have to wait... ▬▬ι═══════ﺤ／人◕ x◕人＼|══════════


	3. Morning Rescue

**Sayaka's POV**, the next morning

...

Mmh... Where am I...? It's pretty warm... is this the afterlife...? At least I don't think I'm in hell, though that makes little sense, where else would I be...? Heaven's out of the question, after all those things I did and said for the last few days... So I'd guess that I'm still alive... But why...? I pushed everyone away and didn't even try to do anything to keep on living, I wanted to die yesterday, just like that... though Kyouko came and seemed to try to save me at first, but then she attacked me...

Or maybe this is just some kind of strange vision before death, that could also be... though I don't think death would be like this... I don't really know where I am or what I'm doing here, but it definitely isn't my room. The ceiling has some patterns looking kind of wood-like, though I think it's just painted, it doesn't look like the real thing... I shift to my left and look around a little bit, there's something red...

"Yo, finally awake? Just 'bout time." Kyouko!? What is this...? I don't even... Why am I in one bed with her!? Why is she wearing nothing but her underwear? And why is she looking so smug with that pocky between her teeth...? Whatever, maybe she can tell me just what happened yesterday after I fainted, she should know... The last thing I remember is how she thrust her spear through my back, though I didn't really feel it, I rather saw it...

"Would you mind telling me just what the hell is going on here?!" I push back the red blanket, only to discover that I'm not wearing my school uniform either, just a plain blue sports bra and my panties... Wait, I'm pretty sure that I didn't undress myself, so that has to mean...!

"Well, I kind of lost it for a moment there after taking your stupid Soul Gem and relieving you from some of that taint you had accumulated, I kinda pierced your stomach..." I nod, I can remember that much... She pushes some of her long red hair out of her face, it looks really wild. "Well, it was one hell of a night, in the end I took you to the hotel. By the way, please don't be too angry about what I'm 'bout to tell you, it was my first time as well and I didn't really know what I was doin'..."

"W-what!?" What does she... she couldn't have... no way in hell... She can't mean... that would be way too low, even for her. There's no reason for her to... but we **are** in a hotel room and... I'm next to nude, she's also... No way... I was making jokes like this about Madoka, that I'd take her to a hotel one day and do... **that**, but this isn't funny... "You can't be serious! Tell me that you're just joking!"

"H-huh? What's gotten into you? It's not as if you left me much of a choice." She takes the pocky between her left index finger and middle finger and looks at me somewhat sympathetically, this can't be happening... She puts her right hand on my shoulder... "Come on, it's not so bad, at least you're still with us, right?" She has to be joking... now I could never get married to Kamijou-kun, even if my body wasn't as it is...

"This isn't... you're joking, right...? You'd better be..." She looks away, apparently slightly ashamed... what kind of a joke is this!? That's not something to be joking about, I swear it, if she's going to tell me it's just a joke and laugh at me I'll hit her so hard...! My first time, with Kyouko... this can't be happening, this has to be some kind of nightmare or something... I really don't know how I should deal with... this.

"You seem to be doing well. And she wasn't joking, I can verify that." This can't be real, how would Kyubey know either way?! That Kyouko would go and do something like that... why would she do that!? I can't believe this, there's just no way... If that's true she's even worse than I thought in the beginning... I feel tainted... "Though it is strange how angry you are, considering you don't even know what we were talking about so far. I really don't get you..."

"As much as I hate that thing, he's right. What are you getting so worked up? You look as if you were about to jump at me any second, and not in a good way..." What are they talking about...? Was this all just a misunderstanding...? Somehow I feel ridiculous now, of course it was just a misunderstanding... Kyouko now quickly eats the pocky and gets herself a new one... "Alright, let me explain this to you, just listen for the time being."

"Go ahead..." I'm pretty relieved about this, though I'm still worried what exactly they are talking about, I very much doubt it's a good thing, otherwise she wouldn't have asked me not to get angry... I'm alive, that's something I'm not really too happy about, but somehow I don't feel so bad about it any more, I feel pretty good overall. Except for this situation, I don't think I like that foreboding look Kyouko has...

"Well, you see, you wouldn't just have died, you were about to turn into a Witch yesterday." What...? I thought... I thought I was doing the world a favour, I thought I was just going to search some dark corner and die there quietly, that's... "Don't worry about that for now, just let it be a warning for you in case you ever feel like getting your Soul Gem tainted again. I cleansed it for you, which is where our real problems begin..."  
"So I was going to... become one of those things...?" Kyouko just nods and squeezes my shoulder a little bit, Kyubey doesn't seem to have any complains about this explanation either... That dirty little... Why didn't he tell me!? Why didn't Kyouko tell me earlier...? Whatever, that doesn't even seem to be the major problem here... "So, just what exactly **could** be a greater problem than that...?"

"Haha, you see, it's a pretty funny story..." Kyouko scratches the back of her head slightly and laughs nervously, I should probably brace myself for the worst, though I have no idea what could be worse than what she just told me... "I kind of pushed our Soul Gems together and, uh... Well, ya should probably see for yourself." She reaches for a drawer next to her side of the bed and takes something out. I take a look at it, it's... her Soul Gem? The colour seems to be pretty much what I'd expect, a bright red...

"I don't see what you're talking about, isn't that just your..." She moves it slightly in her hand, that thing... it isn't just red, it's also cerulean... There's the musical staff and a musical note, so that's my Soul Gem! How did it end up like that...? There's a small violet line separating the two different colours, but this... "Are you trying to tell me that this is...?" Kyouko just nods and squeezes my shoulder again. I poke the blue part with my index finger... That felt as if I just crushed my own shoulder, it's the real thing...

"Well, I think you see how it is now, right? I cleansed it yesterday, so we shouldn't have to worry about turning into Witches or anything like that for a while, but that's the situation we're in right now... " What does this mean...? The Soul Gem is a physical representation of our souls, from what I understand, so the way it's now... Does that mean my soul somehow got fused with that of Kyouko...? I don't know if this is really that much better than my first assumption...

"So, what does this mean for us?" Well, it probably is, somehow I feel as if she meant well, regardless of what the consequences are. I think I made up my opinion of her prematurely, maybe she isn't so bad, after all...

"I have applied the new information, it is just a theory so far, but it seems as if your Soul Gems don't simply share the same frame, I assume that they did, in fact, merge. The violet colour present, a very small element of this new Soul Gem, but an element nonetheless, indicates that your souls are overlapping and perhaps even mixing." That doesn't really sound too good, if that's true... What should I do about this...?

"Yeah, great, could you like... I don't know, translate this into something we can understand and care 'bout? Your scientific data's great and all, but I just wanna know what consequences this will have, not how that works and so on." In this regard I do agree with Kyouko, it's interesting to know what's going on here, but the more important question is still how this will affect us from now on...

"I was just about to explain this to you. As you can see your Soul Gems have merged at that small section, as you can imagine this process is irreversible without a miracle." Well, that much is obvious, it's not as if we could just take a chisel and break it in two... "You will have to stay within the range of your Soul Gem, otherwise... well, you know what happens if you sever the connection to your Soul Gem, don't you, Miki Sayaka?"

"Wait... does that mean we have to stay... within hundred metres of the other...?" This is so... say we forget about whether we want that or not, how should we even do that? Kyouko lives somewhere on her own and hundred metres are... pretty much next to nothing, when you think about it... It's fine if it's just a small gem we have to carry around with us at all times, but Kyouko...? She doesn't even go to my school, so how the hell should we make this work out...?

"I would suggest that you try it out somewhere save, that rule varies between different Magical Girls and to be honest I have no idea just how many things have changed within your Soul Gems and how much they did. Though I can tell that both of you have gotten a lot stronger, your current condition far exceeds what you could have accomplished as individuals." So it does bring some benefits as well, though I really don't know how we should deal with this...

"And that's all you can tell us?" Pretty useless, in my opinion, but at least he told us some important things we need to mind from now on, though I wonder how I should explain this to my dad and how we get Kyouko to come to school, we'll have to enrol her, I just hope she has contact to the authorities or something like that, maybe we could somehow pull it off if she did... If she didn't we'd have to think of something else, I guess...

"For now that is all the information I have, further information will be discovered through observations of your behaviour and your fights from now on. Before you even ask, I suspect that your emotions, your knowledge, your very beings might overlap and merge eventually as well. Of course that only applies to your souls, your bodies should show relatively little changes, if any at all." We... what!? He can't be serious about that...

"Are you frickin' kidding me!? I mean, come on, you can't be serious 'bout that stuff, right? That's just ridiculous..." Kyubey isn't exactly one to joke around, he's a deceitful little bastard, but at least he doesn't lie... usually, I shouldn't bet on it, he's far less trustworthy than even that transfer student or Kyouko... Kyouko... I don't get her at all, one day she stops by and casually tries to kill me, the next time she tries to save me by putting her life on the line...

"As a matter of fact I am not joking, but you can try it out for yourself if you don't believe me." I'm not exactly keen on experiencing the things I did when my Soul Gem was removed from my body again, but I guess there's no way around it, we really should know how far we can move, otherwise one of our bodies could just 'die' during a fight against a Witch... and we'll have to kill Witches if we want to stay alive and sane...

"Well, don't worry about it, we'll figure something out, right? I guess we'll just have to stay together until we find some way to fix it or something." I feel almost as cheerful as I sound, whatever it is that happened to us doesn't seem to be too bad, I guess. It's not as if I'd have to worry about school any longer, but I kind of want to go there again, to see Madoka again... and Kamijou-kun as well, though I don't care about him that much any more, for some reason I haven't even thought about him for quite a while...

"Yeah, sure, it's not as if this was anything serious, right? *Sigh* I guess that's what I get for trying to save an idiot..." Hey...

"Who are you calling an idiot!? If anything it was your stupidity that got us into this situation in the first place, I didn't ask you to do what you did!" She still manages to drive me up the wall just fine...

"H-hey, don't take it so seriously, I was just jokin' around... Besides, who didn't cleanse her Soul Gem and left me no other choice? You called yourself an idiot, remember?" *Sigh* Well, I guess I'll have to get used to this, we'll be stuck with each other for the remainder of both our lives unless Kyubey discovers some way to reverse this... I probably shouldn't get my hopes up, I'll have to get used to that idea... At least I don't have to worry about her getting in my way about Kamijou-kun any more, there's no way to him left, after all...

"Sorry, I get it. Well, let's do our best from now on, alright, partner?" I offer her my hand and she takes it hesitantly, though I think she's happy about this as well, it was about time we buried the hatchet... All this fighting against each other was bad for both of us, though I wasn't the one to pick a fight with Kyouko when I first met her... I guess that somewhat evens it out, I wasn't exactly the knight in shining armour I wanted to be either...

"Heh, it's been a while since I called someone that, but I could get used to it... partner." It feels kind of strange, feeling Kyouko take my hand and looking all embarrassed... I think now I've seen just about anything, all that's left for me to see is that transfer student getting over herself... Yeah, as if that's gonna happen, I guess I shouldn't complain about a small miracle, that's more than what I could ask for... Being here like this, even if it's strange, it's better than being a Witch, for sure.

"So, where are we...?" According to Kyouko it's some kind of a hotel room, but that's about all I can tell...

"As I said, in a hotel room, I usually stay one floor above. Why are you asking?" Hm, I might as well tell her once we know how far we can move away from this Soul Gem and therefore each other... This room is pretty nice, it looks rather big, almost as big as my room back home. There's everything one would need in here, bed stands at each side of the bed, a big desk, some armchairs and a couch, even a small fridge, a wardrobe and even a television...

"Come to think of it, how did you afford this room...?" On the inside I pray she didn't just break in, but her crooked smile tells a different story, no matter what I hope for... I guess there's no helping it, I'll overlook it, just this once, it was an emergency of sorts, after all... and I don't really want to ruin everything we've accomplished so far, we seem to be getting along right now... "Whatever, you said your usual room is one floor above us?"

"Well, yeah, but we should get going right now, we have some things to test out, right?" Somehow I get the feeling that she's avoiding the question... I'm kind of curious about what her place looks like, probably another hotel room like this one... I would scold her for living like this, but she had it hard enough already, I guess, I can't even compare my own problems to anything she went through... That doesn't make it right, but I'll make sure she won't continue like this.

"Let's go there." She doesn't look very pleased...

"Geez, why'd you care about my room so much either way?" Well, for starters we are kind of fused together in some weird way, so it wouldn't be too much to ask her for that, I think... I do my best to look deep into her slightly red eyes with my best pleading look, she just looks away to the side, I think it's working... "Whatever... it doesn't seem as if I could persuade you, you're way too stubborn for reasonable arguments either way..."

"Yep, that's right, now give me some clothes and let's get going~" Somehow it almost feels as if we'd been friends for a really long time already, though we barely know each other, it's somewhat reassuring... Maybe she's right, maybe life is crap, but still worth living for, at least I think that was what she was trying to tell me. Yeah, she is right, life's too good to throw it away because of some idiot I was in love with, it's time to move on.

"Aren't you enthusiastic? I don't really have any clothes I could give you, unless you want me to steal some for you, so you'll just have to use your Magical Girl outfit." I guess that also works, it's better than having Kyouko steal something for me... I'll also have to explain this to my dad, the uniforms of our school aren't exactly cheap, then again he has more than enough money for that kind of thing.

"Wait, you want to go through the window? Won't we be seen...?" I never really gave it any thought before, but it probably wouldn't be very good if someone saw us like this or took a picture of us... They'd probably think of us as some sorts of cosplay freaks and call the police if they saw us jumping from roof to roof, I'd probably have done the same thing if I had seen a Magical Girl doing stuff like that before meeting Mami-san...

"You don't have to worry about that, they can't see you while you are in that outfit. It emits electromagnetic waves which interfere with almost any technology and the brains of anyone who isn't a Magical Girl or has the potential to be one, tricking them into completely ignoring you, unless you willingly show yourself. " Sounds pretty interesting, I'd almost feel tempted to try that out, but I shouldn't abuse my power like that, that wouldn't be very just...

"You could think of it as being invisible while you're transformed, though they won't hear you either, they'll blank out anything you do, but they still see the consequences of your actions and conjure up some other explanation." I guess that's how Kyouko could steal all of that food she always has on her for some reason or why there are not reports of Magical Girls all over the news, if others could see us or take a photograph there's no way it wouldn't be discovered...

"Alright, let's get going." I change into my outfit while Kyouko dons her usual clothes and changes afterwards as well. We're really going to climb through the window, glad I don't have fear of heights, otherwise this would probably be a nightmare for me, we're on the third floor...

...

"So this... is your room?" I was expecting... well, I was expecting a lot of things, maybe a lair full of stolen stuff or enough fast food and sweets to feed the whole city for a couple of days, but definitely not this... It looks like some kind of attic that wasn't used in ages, pretty much everything is cobwebbed and covered by many layers worth of dust... I definitely won't stay here, I hate spiders... and I can't really leave Kyouko here all alone either.

"Hey, you invited yourself in, it wasn't my idea." Well, that's also true, it is my fault for being so curious... There's a dirty futon in one of the corners of the room with tons of packing all around, I guess that's Kyouko's sleeping place... I can't help feeling a little bit repelled by that, my room is always perfectly clean, the whole house is, most of the time, I take care of that... and Kyouko shouldn't live in a place like this either, I won't allow that.

"Why are you staying in a place like this?" I never really thought about where Kyouko would live, I mean, she seemed to be doing just fine, but in a place like this...? She could just as well sneak into one of the better rooms for the night and stay there, so why would she do that? Of course I wouldn't do something like that if I was in her situation, at least I don't think I would, but she never seemed to have any concerns about those kinds of things...

"Well, it's not as if I could afford a real room either way and breaking in every night would attract unwanted attention, so I rather stay up here." That sounds more like an excuse than anything else, but I probably shouldn't make more inquiries, she might take it the wrong way... I guess we'll have to get along somehow from now on, regardless of what we think, it's not as if we had much of a choice. I lean against one of the roof beams, there's something strangely soft...

"What is-" That's... no way... it's a small sac, white and silky... with small black dots... this better not... "GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF!" I frantically shake my hand to get rid of them, but there are too many... countless little spiders... shaking my hand was a bad idea, now they're all over me! I dust myself off and jump a little bit, I just hope that was all of them... Kyouko looks rather bewildered, I guess that's comprehensible...

"What's the matter, Sayaka?" I was just a little bit scared, it's not as if I had arachnophobia or something like that, but I think that's a reaction anyone would have if they found out they just grabbed a sac of infant spiders...Kyouko looks at me and leans in a little bit closer, she looks rather suspicious... Just what is she looking at either way? This is pretty embarrassing... "Hey, you've got something in your hair, let me get it for ya."

"Well, thanks, I've had just about enough of this place, get your things, we'll be going." She has a smug grin as she pulls another small spider out of my hair while I do my best to stay composed, I have no idea what kind of spiders they are, it's too dark in here, but I don't really want to know either way... a second later Kyouko throws me another questioning look, but she does get a backpack, though that can't be all she has here, right? "Do you need help with anything?"

"Nah, that's all I got, I'm ready to go." She must've lived a horrible life here, that doesn't justify the things she did, but I think I should still be more forgiving, it's not as if I could fathom what she had to go through... yeah, I think I prejudged her, if she was half as self-centred as I thought she was there's just no way she'd risk her very soul to save me... Why would she do that either way...? I did it for Kamijou-kun, but she...

"Alright, let's get out of here." I've had enough of this place, our basement is far cleaner than this place and I used to consider it dirty... Though I'm not sure what I should do... what we should do from now on, I guess we'll stay at my home, mum and dad are barely ever home either way, so it wouldn't really bother them. I have no siblings, so most of the time I have our floor all to myself, maybe it really wouldn't be so bad to have Kyouko around...

...

**Kyouko's POV**, the riverside

...

"So, what did we come here for?" It's a little detour, we could get to Sayaka's place faster if we took another route, we could even jump from building to building since we're pretty much invisible for anyone as long as we're in our armour. I'm actually rather surprised by how well Sayaka is taking all of this, I was expecting her to snap the moment I told her what had happened to us, but if I didn't know any better I'd say she's being pretty considerate...

"Just lie down in the grass here for a bit and give me our Soul Gem, we wanted to test out how far we could be from each other, remember?" Oh, so that's why. I guess this place is as good as any, we have a lot of free space here and nothing would obstruct our view. And it's a nice place, though a little bit wet from yesterday, but that can't be helped... the sooner we try this out the better, I really wouldn't want to find that out while fighting a Witch and that could happen anytime...

"Why do I have to lie down here? Can't you do that?" I rather wouldn't lie down in the grass here, it's not all that pleasant. Has been pretty cold for the last few days, colder than usual around this time, it's supposed to get warmer around the beginning of summer. I still wonder why Sayaka asked me to take my things with me, but I guess she'll explain it in time, it's just some fast food, a lot of ramen, pocky and other things I like to eat...

"Well, I'd do it, but our equipment vanishes if we lose contact with our Soul Gem." I give her a questioning look, I'm not really sure what she's getting at... "*Sigh* What I'm trying to tell you is... we're in plain view here and I'd just be wearing a bra and panties while you'd be fully dressed if our equipment would vanish." Oh, I get it, that's true, though it would be pretty hilarious, I think... I can't help but grin and Sayaka glares at me, I guess she knows what I was thinking... I take out the Soul Gem and give it to her.

"Sorry, sorry, I'll do it, just go and try it out if you want to." I can't say I'm too thrilled about experiencing this kind of thing, I doubt it'd feel good, but I can't really make Sayaka do it, despite the weather there're some people around. It would be pretty amusing to see that, but she'd probably try to kill me if I just took our Soul Gem and ran away with it... She starts to walk away from me with pretty big steps, I think she's trying to count the distance while looking at me over her shoulder or something.

Hm, I wonder what we'll do from now on, I guess we're stuck with each other. Granted, I'm kind of glad that it's Sayaka I'm stuck with, I kinda like her, but that doesn't change the fact that we're stuck with each other. We'll have to think about what we do from now on together, there isn't that much space for 'me' or 'her' any longer, we'll have to do almost everything together from now on. What should I do abou-

...

"Kyouko? Hey, Kyouko, are you alright?" Uh... I rub my eyes for a moment and stretch, I feel as if I'd just fallen asleep for a moment... Sayaka is kneeling next to me, her face directly above mine, she's pretty close. Now she's giving me a relieved smile, it looks really good on her, this has to be the first time she ever looked at me with an honest smile... I wonder how far Sayaka got before I collapsed, that has to be what's happened.

"Yeah, I'm fine. So, how far did ya get?" her expression darkens a little bit, I don't think that's a good sign... She offers me her hand and I take it, she pulls me up with ease, she really has gotten a lot stronger since then... I'd kind of like to fight her again, without the whole 'killing each other' part, just for fun, but that'd be a waste of magic... I get back into my gear, it's more comfortable than wet clothes. The weather really isn't that great, looks as if it'd rain again sometime, though I think that'll be tonight, at least not anytime soon.

"Not very far, around fifty metres..." **FIFTY!?** Damn, that's just 'bout nothing... I'm really stuck with her, for the rest of our life, I can't even think of it as lives any longer... that's pretty fucked up, I just hope Sayaka will stay as tolerable as she is right now, I don't think I'd be able to put up with her if she'd complain about every little thing I did and go on and on about her ideals... She can have them, I have no problem with that, but she shouldn't go around and try to push them onto me or others...

"So, uh, you have some kinda plan or something?" I'm pretty much at a loss, I didn't really think about this before, but I'll have to find some place close to her to stay at, I don't think it'd be good to spend a night without being in the vicinity of our Soul Gem... It isn't too likely that I could find anything there, but I guess it's worth a shot, I should ask Sayaka for her opinion about these things as well, every decision we make will affect both of us...

"I guess you could say so, though it isn't much of a plan. Let's go to my place for the time being, I didn't eat a thing since the day before yesterday..." I take out some pocky and offer her one, this time she doesn't throw it away or stops to ask me where I got it, she just takes it. Well, hunger will triumph over ethics most of the time, though two days without food isn't really that bad, I had it worse already... but I shouldn't dwell on the past.

...

"So, what do we do now?" We're right in front of Sayaka's home, I've been here before, though this is the first time she actually invites me to come in... It's a really big place, I'd almost call it a mansion, this place is almost as big as the church of my father, but with more floors... and she lives here all alone most of the time. I haven't seen her parents even once while observing her, only the other people living in here... They have to be wealthy if they can afford a home like this with heating costs and everything, it looks really neat as well...

"Hm, let's go in for now, I'll get myself a change of clothes and make something to eat afterwards, I'll have to make a call as well, school and all that stuff..." I can't say I'm unhappy about never going to school, it sounds like a real bother... I never really got the chance to do that since my parents didn't even have enough money for food, so I rather went outside and looked for something to eat, it's not as if I could've even gone to school if I had wanted to...

"I guess you're right, though you'll have to make up some story, you can't exactly go ahead and tell them that you were 'bout to transform into an ugly fish monster before I came along to save ya." I grin at her and she looks a little bit confused, but after a moment she smiles as well. I guess I'll have to explain all of that stuff to her as well, though I'd rather go to Homura and leave the talking to her, I don't really understand all that 'time travelling' business myself.

"Hm, I've heard worse excuses during classes, but I guess you're right about that." She takes out her wallet, there's a key ring attached to it as well, she picks one of the keys and unlocks the glass door. This place is kind of... I'd almost say intimidating, it's so high, probably around ten metres. There are stairs going all the way up to the glass peak of the roof, but there's also an elevator. A lot better than my shabby old attic, that's for sure...

"Highest floor, right?" She just nods and walks towards the stairs, they're covered with some kind of white stones or something like that, the ceiling is covered with those stones as well, a lot of white squares made of stone or something... From what I can tell she and her family have that floor all to themselves or the right side of it is currently uninhabited, there're some other families living on the lower floors as well. Man, she has it really nice here, I kind of envy her...

"Yeah. You've been here before, when you took me to the church, right?" I kind of wonder why I did that myself, this whole thing with Sayaka really screwed my life up, especially in that dream, or vision from another timeline or whatever the hell it was... Well, too late to complain 'bout that either way, I made my decision and I'll stick by it. We walk up the stairs to the highest floor, Sayaka unlocks yet another door and we're in another white corridor.

"So, how will we go 'bout this whole thing? I mean, we'll have to come to terms with our current situation and this whole thing won't work out if we disagree 'bout almost anything." That'll be a difficult thing to do, considering Sayaka's obsession with justice and so on, but I'm not really willing to just follow her lead. Sure, I always loved those heroic tales 'bout love and courage, but I know that's not how it works...

"I guess you're right, we should probably talk about that after I made something to eat, I guess you'll want some as well, right?" I just nod my head, though I'm not really sure, I can't tell whether she can cook or not... Well, I won't let any of it go to waste, that's for sure, especially since she goes out of her way to make some for me... "Why don't you take a shower in the meanwhile? I'll get dressed and give you some of my clothes, we could also put yours in the washer, if you want to."

"That sounds like a pretty good idea." It's been a couple of days since I last took one, I've been way too occupied with other stuff to think of somethin' like that... I guess that was just a nice way of saying 'You smell, go and take a shower'... My clothes could also need a washing, I feel pretty embarrassed about all that stuff all of a sudden, as if I just suddenly became aware of it all... I guess that's kinda true, you don't think 'bout it if you're on your own...

"Alright, the bathroom is the second door to the right." Sayaka lifts her right hand and points at the door, I guess this might be a nice evening, after all. I wonder how we'll do all those things from now on, I'll have to find someplace to stay close by, that could be difficult... fifty metres, that's frickin' nothing, it would have to be in this house or in the immediate vicinity, but I don't think there're too many options I have...

I open the door, it's a pretty average bathroom, though a little bit bigger than what I'm used to. White tiles, a pink mat in front of the sink, a couple of toothbrushes and some other stuff. The bathtub itself is probably the biggest thing in here, roughly one and a half metre squares, it has grey tiles instead of the white ones. I don't even remember the last time I got to take an actual bath, showers are just fine, but a bath is something different...

Maybe it wouldn't be too bad to live here, though I don't think I could ask for that much... Sayaka probably wouldn't want that either way... I take a look at some of the bottles next to the bathtub, I think I'll treat myself to a bubble bath... I open the water tap, the water's pretty warm, just the way I like it, now I'll just have to wait until it's full... Somehow all of this feels so unreal, I wouldn't have believed myself if I had somehow travelled back through time and told me that anything like that would happen.

I mean, it's been like what, twelve days since I first met Sayaka, and now we're pretty much stuck with each other for the rest of our lives? Seriously, everything's been goin' crazy since I got involved with her... but I don't really mind it that much, we're both fine and if things had gone different one or both of us would've been dead by now. All in all things are going well, I guess, at least when compared to Homura's stories or that dream...

Well, whatever. The bathtub is full enough now, so I just take off my clothes and throw them into one of the corners. I also undo my hair band, now my hair is all over the place, that's why I usually wear it in the first place, otherwise it'd really get in my way during fights and so on... Well, I like it better this way, so it's fine. I take a seat on the brim of the bathtub and put my left foot in first, it's just perfect... I slowly let myself immerse, this is heaven...

...

**Sayaka's POV**, her room

...

I think it would be about time for me to take a bath as well, it's been two days since I took a shower... but I guess I'll just do that tomorrow, all that's left for today is making dinner, it isn't really late, but I still feel tired, for some reason... but it's completely different from the 'tired' I felt yesterday, today it feels pretty good, like what one feels after a good workout. I think it's about time I get myself something decent to wear...

Panties and a sports bra really aren't that comfortable to wear all of the time, I take them off and take a look at my wardrobe. Everything's as I left it, I take out two boxer shorts, those things really are much more comfortable... I usually don't wear them in school because it looks kind of weird with our uniform and everyone else doesn't wear them, but when I'm at home or wear trousers I rather take those.

I get myself a pyjama next, one for Kyouko as well. I'll also have to think of someplace where she can stay, I don't think we have any guestrooms right now... I guess I can just as well dig up a futon, we should have one, somewhere... My dad's out, that's not really unusual. I guess that's for the best, we'll also have to think of some reason why Kyouko should stay here... It can never be as easy as I'd like it, can it?

It'll work out, one way or the other, I'm sure of it. My dad's rather understanding and I think I'll be able to negotiate something with him. I kind of wonder if I should tell him about this whole Magical Girl stuff, I think it would be kind of unfair not to tell him, I could die any day while fighting Witches... I haven't seen mum in a while, my parents are divorced, though she still comes here, sometimes, I never really understood it, but they still seem to get along.

All done, I'm wearing my usual light blue pyjama over the boxer shorts, the best thing I have for Kyouko is a white one I rarely ever used... I mean, blue really wouldn't suit her, that would jar with the colour of her hair. It's not really that important, but I think it'd be irritating for me as well. She will need a towel as well, so I get one for her. That should be everything, so I walk towards the bathroom.

"*Knock* Hey, Kyouko, can I come in? I have the clothes and a towel for you."

"Sure, come on in." I open the door, it's really steamy in here... Just how hot was the water she used? Well, if she likes it that's her thing, though she should open the window if she does that, otherwise the ceiling or something else might get mouldy... I put the change of clothes on a stool in front of the bathtub and the towel right next to it, intent on not looking at Kyouko. That would be pretty rude, after all.

"Please open the window next time you take a hot shower or a bath, alright? Well, I'll get going now." *Splash* As I walk towards the door she suddenly grabs my arm from behind... Geez, now the pyjama is all wet...

"Sure, sure. Hey, why don't you come in here for a sec? The water's pretty much perfect." What does she mean by 'come in'?

"I have to prepare dinner and so on, so no." Even if I was free right now I wouldn't just hop into the bathtub with Kyouko, I rarely even did that with mum or dad when I was younger... It would be a different story if it was a public bath or something, but this would just be embarrassing...

"What are ya looking away for anyways? C'mon, let's have some fun!" I can feel a strong pull and the next thing I know is that I'm inside the bathtub, face under water... Just what is she thinking!? Now my pyjama's completely soaked, my boxer shorts as well... I'm just glad that the floor is made of tiles, otherwise the water sloshing over could be a real problem... I get my face out of the water again, there's almost half a metre worth of bubbles above it...

"Just what have you done here? That's way too much foam, just how much did you use...?" I take a look at my bottle, it's almost empty... *Sigh* It was almost half-full before Kyouko came along, that has to mean she put half a litre in- *Splash* "Hey! What's your problem!?" She just splashed water in my face, what is she, a little kid!? I wipe the water out of my eyes, but I won't let her get away with this, it's time for payback!

"Just having some fun. It's just how we used-" *Splash* I got her good this time, she even had her mouth open, so it's a perfect hit! Hehe, I was always the best one with water, Hitomi and Madoka never stood a chance in such a fight against me~ Somehow I always felt very comfortable around water or inside of it, almost more so than on solid ground... I think it's about time I went swimming again, it's been way too long since I did something like that...

"Know where you pick your battles, you stand no chance against Super Water Sportsman Sayaka-chan in the water~" I guess Kyouko was right, this really is some fun, I never would've thought I'd be doing something like this with her, just playing around like this. I could almost forget about all those serious things we have to worry about right now, just having some fun might be just what we need...

"*Cough* *Cough*" Maybe I slightly overdid it with my retaliation... I get over to her, put an arm on her back and strike her, not really strongly, just enough to help her get the water out. Her long red hair is pretty unkempt, maybe we'll have to cut it off, though it actually looks kind of good on her... I'll have to apologise to her, I didn't mean to- "Got ya!" Wha- The next moment my head is below the water again, this time I almost breathe in some water... You just wait... I can still feel her arm around my head, so I can guess where I'll have to strike...

I reach out with both of my hand and start a merciless tickle assault! After just a moment her hands are out of my hair and I get my head back up, but I won't stop here! "Hah, take this! And this, and that!" It takes me several seconds to realise just how embarrassing this is, I mean, it's something else when I do this with Madoka, we've been friends for as long as I can remember, but with Kyouko, especially when she isn't wearing anything...

"HAHAHA! Wah, stop, I can't... haha! I give up, hihihi!" I retreat my hands and get back to the other side of the bathtub, looking at Kyouko is so embarrassing, though the bubbles cover her completely... oh, right, I'll have to prepare dinner and so on, somehow that came to my mind all of a sudden. "You see? That was fun, wasn't it?" She looks pretty happy and has a pretty big grin, for some reason. I guess she doesn't realise yet that I'll have her clean up the mess she made on the floor...

"I guess so, yeah. But why did you do that?" Her expression darkens slightly...

"Ah, you see... back then, when I used to live with my little sis and so on, we used to do this almost every time when we took a bath. I guess it was... kinda nostalgic for me, you know? Drove mum mad every time, but it's not as if we had much else to be happy 'bout. That was before things really went to shit." Oh... I guess that makes sense, kind of. Well, it's not as if anything was damaged, so it's not that bad... "Sorry if that made you mad..."

"*Sigh* Just tell me about it next time and don't surprise me like that, I almost swallowed a mouthful of soap water there... I guess it's fine, but you'll have to clean up all of that water, alright?" She starts laughing again, for some reason... "What's so funny?"

"Hmhm, it's nothing. I just thought you remind me a little bit of mum, is all. She also joined in when we were splashing around with water but told us to clean up afterwards." It's somewhat strange that she can joke around like this, at least I don't think I'd be able to think back to something like that if I had experienced the things she did. I wonder how she even came through those events without turning to a Witch, if even something like that with Kamijou-kun and Hitomi could be enough to push me to that point...

"Well, just do it, I'll get myself some new clothes and prepare dinner..." I get out of the water, my pyjama is completely soaked, just as my whole body... I wring out some of the water, but I won't be wearing this one tonight, that much is for sure... Well, it was fun, something I didn't really have for the last few days... I can't say I missed it, it rather feels as if I had forgotten what that even was over all those other things which happened...

I walk out of the bathroom, back to my own room to get myself some new clothes... I guess I can't really hold it against Kyouko, from what I can tell she meant well, she does seem to care about me, for some reason. I can't say I understand how this change came about, a few days ago she was trying to kill me, now she saves my life and tries to curry favour with me. Uh, of course not in the romantic sense of those words...

Well, I wouldn't really mind some company, dad doesn't come home very often and if he does it's pretty late, so I spend most of my time all alone here, unless I do something with my friends. I guess I'll have to apologise to Madoka tomorrow, I said some things I really shouldn't have said, none of this was her fault... I should probably apologise to that transfer student as well, I believe her, she just wanted to protect Madoka...

And most of all I'll have to apologise to Kyouko and thank her for putting up with me yesterday, I don't remember it all that well, it's kind of blurry, but I know that she did save me. I hurriedly take off my clothes and dry myself with another towel, afterwards I change into some dry clothes and hang up the old ones on the heater. It isn't on right now, but that doesn't really matter, it's warm enough in here. Heh, I didn't think I'd ever see my room again, it almost feels unreal...

Nothing has changed in here, but I feel as if I had become a completely different person, though I can't tell how I have changed... Well, I've been much more patient with Kyouko, I think she needs my compassion as well. A lot of things went wrong between the two of us, so that's probably a good thing, we should both just leave that stuff behind and start over. Haha, that almost sounds like something Madoka would say...

Whatever, I can worry about all those things while I'm making dinner, standing in my room and staring at my plushies won't make it for us... I should probably make more than usual, dad and me usually eat rather little, but Kyouko... Well, if it's too much we won't have to worry about cooking tomorrow. I've been practising for a good while now, I cook for dad and myself and I practised extra hard to make something delicious for Kamijou-kun when we'd get together...

Well, that's obviously not going to happen, even if I wanted to I wouldn't be able to be with him. Especially now that I'll have to stay within a fifty metre radius of Kyouko unless I want to suddenly collapse as a corpse, I'm sure that would be perfect for a date... Besides, what's so great about Kamijou-kun anyways? Sure, his music is great, but I don't need to be his girlfriend to listen to it. Other than that...

Strange, I can't really remember what I thought to be so great about him. Maybe that's just how love goes, who knows. Or maybe it's related to the Soul Gem stuff that I don't feel attracted to him any longer, those apparently have a huge impact on our emotions. Well, I can't say I'm sad about not feeling those things for him any more, it's probably better for me, that way I can still look him and Hitomi in the eyes, she can have him for all I care...

Yes, that way all of us can be happy, more or less, I'll just have to figure out how I should spend my time with Kyouko from now on. Well, I'm sure we'll reach some kind of a compromise both of us can live with. Of course that won't be easy and I don't think we'll reach that compromise on the first try, but if we continue to discuss our different opinions we should be able to get there.

I can somewhat see Kyouko's point of not attacking familiars as well now, I hate to admit it, but if we'll turn into Witches if we don't get Grief Seeds... it might be better for everyone to let them get away, though I don't know if I can do something like that. Well, I'll have more than enough time to worry about that while making dinner, so I might as well get into the kitchen and get it started, the sooner I begin the sooner it's done.

...

**Author's note**: I just wanted to say 'thank you' for all the nice reviews we got so far, in both our names. We hope you enjoyed it so far, the next chapter will probably take a lot longer, but we'll get there, eventually. We wouldn't really mind longer or more critical reviews, feel free to say what you think... or don't, if you don't feel like writing a review, I know how it is.^^ The characters might seem to be somewhat out of character this time, but we'll try to explain it in the next chapter.


	4. And I'm home

**Sayaka's POV**, the kitchen

...

"Damn..." I should have known this was going to happen, but it wasn't really important until now... I didn't clean up for almost a week now, so it was to be expected... the kitchen looks like a former battlefield, the sink is overrun by dirty dishes covered in... yucky stuff, I don't even know what that used to be, some of it is getting mouldy already... I just hope there's enough food left to make something, if I'm out of luck most of the vegetables will be inedible by now...

I walk towards the fridge with a foreboding feeling, I'm almost afraid to open the door to see what lurks in there... I slowly open it, prepared for the worst... phew, I guess I got lucky, since I wasn't here to buy anything the fridge is almost empty except for some carrots and cabbage. There should also be pre-cooked chicken breast fillet in the freezer. Well, the cabbage isn't in a very good shape, but it's still edible, Kyouko would scold me if I'd throw anything away...

Yeah, I can make something with this, I guess I'll just stew the carrots with the cabbage and roast the chicken before adding it. I think I'll spice it with... I guess I'll just make some teriyaki sauce. Let's see... soy sauce... check. Mirin... nope, but I can do without it. And some sugar. I take a look at the sugar dispenser, it's almost empty... I guess I'll have to go shopping sometime, but not while I'm supposedly sick, that wouldn't be good...

Hm, some honey as well. I take a bowl out of one of the shelves, next a cup... and the spices. Alright, everything I should need. One cup of soy sauce, half a cup of sake... next four tablespoons of sugar and honey... I should probably clean up that mess at the sink first... I guess there's no helping it, here I come.

...

My father should really hire a housemaid or something along those lines whenever I don't do it, this was really disgusting... at least it's clean enough to put it into the dishwasher now, so I won't have to worry about it for a while. Where were we...? Oh, right, the teriyaki sauce. I slowly stir the mixture and add some corn starch, a trace of sesame oil... that should be good enough. Of course some spices as well, let's see...

A touch of garlic, a pinch of ginger... a little more coriander and pepper... Hm, it's not as if I'd need any more, this is good enough. I'm not really in the mood for any strange experiments, though I still want it to be rather good, I guess it could be a small 'thank you' for Kyouko, food would probably be perfect... I should put the rice on a little bit later, the other things will take more preparations. And the vegetables have to be cut before I can stew them. Well, it shouldn't take much longer than... three-quarters of an hour, maybe less.

No, scratch that, probably rather one hour. I want to make tempura batter for the chicken breast fillet and for that I'll need really cold water... Well, I guess it's worth the wait, I can prepare the other things while waiting for the water to cool down.

...

**Kyouko's POV**, after the bath

...

That was really refreshing, I haven't taken a bath in... I don't even know when the last time was. I ended up staying much longer than I needed to, my skin's all wrinkled... well, it was fun, especially pulling Sayaka in, the look on her face when she got back up was priceless. We can't really do much 'bout our current situation, but I'm still kinda glad things turned out this way, strange as it might be. Beats dying, I guess. I look through my clothes and get what I was looking for, our Soul Gem.

I didn't really know what I was getting myself into when I did that and I much rather wouldn't be chained to Sayaka... but I can't really do much 'bout that, so I might as well get used to it and have fun. Though I'll probably have to teach Sayaka what that is first, she's way too uptight with all her justice and so on. Well, we should have more than enough time for that from now on, doesn't look as if we'd be able to part ways anytime soon.

A pyjama, huh? I didn't really bother with things like that since I left 'home' or what remained of it, I always felt they were... kinda useless. But I guess I'll wear it for the time being, at least until my hoodie and my pants are clean and dry again. Though I really don't get why she left me some boxer shorts as well, maybe that was accidental. I just dry myself off with the towel and slip into the pyjama, it's actually pretty comfortable, rather fluffy... it even has some pockets, so I put the Soul Gem inside one of them.

And now I'll have to wipe the floor... I always hated that, but I guess there's no helping it, it was my fault... I just use the towel to wipe the floor and wring it out in the bathtub, I already pulled the plug out. Yeah, that should do the trick. Now I'll just have to open the window and I'm done here... I'm actually kind of curious 'bout what Sayaka will make, though I hope it's good. Somehow she just doesn't seem like a housewife to me...

I guess I'll just have to find out for myself. Should still be edible, no matter what she ends up doing. If she wasn't good at cooking she wouldn't do it, she'd just eat instant meals all of the time, just as I do. Unless she was actually talking 'bout instant food... Well, only one way to find out. I open the door and step into the white hallway, I can smell something... if the smell's anything to go by it won't be bad, that much's for sure!

"Sayaka? Hey, Sayaka! I'm done, where are ya?" I guess in the kitchen, I just follow my nose... smells like something fried. And probably some vegetables and... teriyaki sauce. I think it smells pretty good, if it's even half as good as it smells I'll be pleased.

"Ah, yes, I'm here, just come in. It still needs a little bit." So that's the kitchen, second room to the left. And a big fridge, as well as many shelves for food~ That's what I'd call a living. Hm, I still don't know where I should stay, maybe I should just ask Sayaka. At least she'd probably know if there was a place to stay at close to here. Or we'll have to move out of here and search for apartments or something.

"Alright. Hey, Sayaka, ya got any idea where I could stay?" There was no inheritance unless my father had debts and I've been missing since that day, I didn't really need money. I'd have to look for a job, but Sayaka probably won't just quit school... Damn, this could be pretty complicated, with those fifty metres we have. Why would the range of that stupid thing decrease anyways!? Shouldn't it increase if it got bigger?

"Huh? I though that was obvious, you will stay here. Otherwise I'd have to move out and dad would probably be against that since I'm not done with school yet." I... She thinks I can just stay here like that...? Hm, I guess I can, it's not as if I had any obligations. This is actually the perfect solution, I won't have to look for a place to stay at and I don't have to work for it, what more could I ask for? If Homura would offer something like that I'd be careful, but I can expect fair treatment from Sayaka. Uh, probably...

"I can!? Haha, cool, in that case I'll make myself at home!" Yeah, that ought to be better than a crappy attic, though I'm still not sure why I stayed at that place, I could've just slipped into another room... Bah, who gives a damn?! I got myself a home! A home... sure brings back a lot of memories, last time I called a place home was back then... Nah, no point thinking 'bout that stuff now, this is a happy moment!

"Just don't overdo it... You can go to my room and unpack your things for the time being, we don't really have a free guestroom right now." Huh, I guess that means I'll stay in her room for the time being, I'm kinda curious as to what it looks like on the inside... Her room was the last one to the left, the fourth door, if I'm not mistaken. She looks up from her cooking for a moment, flipping her short blue hair behind her ears. "Uh, don't you need me to tell you where it is?"

"I was here to pick you up once, remember?" Truth be told, that wasn't the first time I was here, nor was it the last time... But Sayaka doesn't need to know that, who knows what she'd make of that. If she found out that'd just make our relationship more rocky than it already is and we'll have to get along somehow. I don't mind deceiving her just a little bit here and there, it's for the best, ain't it? Telling the truth is nice and good, but it can cause so much harm...

"You sure have an amazing memory... well, I will call you once everything's ready." She shrugs and returns to whatever it is she's doing there, I get out of the kitchen and follow the long white hallway to its end. The door opens with a faint creaking noise, sure enough, looks like Sayaka's room. Unless her mum's really into plushies and music. Nah, I saw her from the window, definitely her room. Even smells like her. There's even a photograph of that wimp with a violin on a shelf next to the bed...

What does she see in him anyways? I take the picture into my hand and take a closer look at him. Looks pretty average, at least in my opinion. I can't really talk 'bout his music, I never heard it, but classical music never really was my thing. Sure, can be nice, but it just doesn't do much for me, I like faster things more, something catchy that gets right into the blood... Well, was there anything else 'bout him?

I guess his personality, if I can call it that, from what I observed he's got about as much depth as a puddle and his hand obviously wasn't the only thing crippled. I didn't see that much 'bout their little 'love triangle' or whatever, basically just the conclusion, but still... he chose that other girl over Sayaka? I ain't seen her once in the hospital when I was... uh, looking after Sayaka, that's it. Has to be about as superficial as he's stupid...

Whatever. I don't think either of us would be in the mood to see that face right now, so I put it down on the brink of the shelf and 'accidentally' let out a heavy breath, sending it behind the shelf. Huh, the room looks a lot better already, who'd have thought? A lot of cute little plushies, some shelves with books and CDs... I guess it's alright, at least more entertaining than my room back there. Well, I bid you adieu, hellhole, here I come, new life! Though I kinda want a TV if I'm staying here, maybe some games as well...

I guess things are actually looking up, in a way. Doesn't seem like too much of a hassle any more. Sure, Sayaka probably won't stay as sweet-tempered as she's right now, I'll give her a couple of days, a week at most... Then I'll have to bear with her lectures 'bout justice and whatnot, but if we can reach a compromise it might be tolerable. We need Witches every now and then, otherwise we'll turn into them ourselves...

I look through the shelves a little bit, one apparently dedicated to classical music, not really my thing... A lot of books as well. Hm, 'Grimm's Fairy Tales', 'Collected works of William Shakespeare', 'Hans Christian Andersen: Illustrated Fairy Tales and Stories'... those are some of the titles I can read, but there are a lot of books in foreign languages as well, I guess English... well, I never really learned that, I was only taught to read Japanese by...

Whatever. I take the last book I looked at out of the shelf, mostly because it said 'Illustrated'... I don't really have the time to read much right now, so I just flip through some of the pages. I can't make much sense of the pictures alone, but they look pretty good, maybe I'll take a look at the stories, sometime. Standing here isn't really all that comfortable, so I look around for something to sit on. There are some chairs, but...

Yeah, that bed... it looks pretty tempting, I just wanna jump on top of it and try it out... Well, why not. I put the book down next to the pillow and jump right into it, it's so big... and really springy, I almost wanna hop around a little bit... but just lying here while my hair dries isn't bad at all, I feel pretty sluggish right now. Well, that's what a hot bath usually does. It sure smells like Sayaka in here...

Sayaka smells like this? Huh, I never really noticed that, but I guess pretty much anyone has their own smell. Of course there's also shampoo and whatnot, but it still smells like her. Well, I don't really mind. Maybe I'll look into the book a little more. could be a while until I get something to eat. If Sayaka can actually cook this could be really great... Maybe, just maybe, magic and miracles do exist...

...

**Sayaka's POV**

...

It took longer than I originally thought it would, but it's done now... I can't say it's the best thing I've ever made, I had to improvise a lot. Though I think it still turned out alright, at least it's edible. I open the door of the kitchen and look towards the entrance, there are our shoes and... Kyouko's backpack? Didn't I tell her to move it to my room? *Sigh* Oh well, I guess I'll just take it there. It's much lighter than I expected...

She seems to be okay with staying here, if her smile was anything to go by I'd even say happy. Of course I'll have to ask dad, but he's pretty permissive, unlike mum... If she was still here I could probably forget this and I'm somewhat glad dad isn't home yet, I'll have to come up with an explanation for all of this... I could probably say that Kyouko is a friend of mine, that would even be true, to a certain extent.

But she'll have to stay here permanently, for the remainder of our lives... though that probably won't be as long as I'd like it to be... Well, this isn't the time to get depressed, Magical Girl Sayaka-chan has gained a new supporter and can continue fighting for justice! ... at least that's what would happen in some manga, but I very much doubt it. We might get along right now, but we delicately avoided the difficult questions so far...

We might still have some time for that, but we won't have the time when there's a Witch to fight. There could be normal persons that were lured into their labyrinths and we'd have to decide whether we focus on killing the Witch or saving them... And then there's that thing with the familiars. If we let them go we'll get a Grief Seed later, but for what price? Are human lives really worth so little...? I don't want to believe that, I can't.

"Kyouko?" I step into my room and look around for a moment... Somehow things look different, less tidy, somewhat chaotic... and Kyouko took me quite literally when I told her to make herself at home, she's curled up on the bed with a book of mine, she didn't even ask! *Sigh* Whatever, as long as she doesn't damage anything... Wasn't there a picture of Kyousuke next to my bed...? Maybe I threw it away, my memory of the last few days isn't very clear, it's all a blur...

"Hey, Sayaka. What 'bout lunch?" She really has some nerves, asking me casually like that. Isn't she the guest? Apparently she just takes it for granted... and of course it's about the food... This might be worse than I thought at first...

"You could've offered to help, it would've been faster that way, but I did it already. You didn't even take your things with you..." I put the backpack down at the foot of the bed and look at Kyouko, she seems to be pretty engrossed by the book. Hm, 'Hans Christian Andersen: Illustrated Fairy Tales and Stories', huh? That used to be my favourite book, ever since dad read it to me, I don't even know how long ago that was. I still like it pretty much... "Are you even listening?"

"Uh, of course." She hastily puts the book onto the bed table and looks up. Still, just getting into my bed and using my stuff without even asking... I guess she'll have to learn a thing about manners, probably a lot if I ever want to get her into school... I will have to talk to her about that as well, we can't just stay carefree and do nothing but hunting Witches... though I guess we still have some time to think about it.

"Who allowed you to get into my bed? If you want something you'll have to ask for it, alright?" She looks at me as if that was natural and I was blaming her for no reason... she really is impossible... She even got my bed wet with that long hair of hers... I'll have to think of some way to punish her, I can't just let her get away with all of this... we have to live together, so both of us will have to change, I guess...

"Well, didn't you tell me I should make myself at home?" Judging by her provocative glare she knew full well that she shouldn't have done that... Yeah, this definitely calls for punishment. I take one of the pillows and beat her with it. "Hey, stop that! Well, if you're looking for a fight you got one!" She takes up a smaller one and starts to hit me back, but I soon overpower her and push her down, next I put my left leg over her hip and continue to beat her with the pillow.

"You know well enough that this isn't what I meant! Gah, take this!" She puts up a good fight, but all those years of experience against Madoka and Hitomi finally pay off! They always ganged up on me whenever all three of us had a sleepover together, but I still managed to win, most of the time... I take the pillow far above my head and swing it down again, but she crosses her arms in front of her face and blocks it...

"Now you really did it, Sayaka..." Suddenly she pushes me to the side and the next thing I know is that she's on top of me... I guess I shouldn't have taken her lightly, she isn't the same as Madoka or Hitomi, far from it... Somehow I feel a little bit uncomfortable, it was really harmless when I was on top of her, but that look in her eyes... It's almost predatory. "So, what should I do with you now?"

"How about thanking me for preparing lunch and letting you stay here for free?" Well, it might look a little bit bad for me right now, but I definitely won't back down either. "And while you're at it, button up your pyjama..." Seriously, she didn't even do that right... I look to the side, towards the window, the curtains are drawn... still, this whole position is pretty awkward and Kyouko seems to slowly realise it as well...

"Oh... oh, I'm sorry, I guess you're right." She hastily buttons up her pyjama and gets off me. Well, I don't really mind, I know how that is... I couldn't even count the times I found myself in similar situations with Madoka. Well, it's just fun and games and I don't mind if there's no one else around, most of the time not even if someone is, they should just mind their own business. Kyouko looks pretty embarrassed though...

"It's alright, no harm done. So, do you want to eat something or not?" And she seems to have forgotten all about her previous embarrassment, in a matter of seconds... That kind of reminds me of a dog I used to know, food had the same effect on him... though her general behaviour is rather like that of a cat, I guess she has a bit of both... as sluggish as a cat on a hot summer day and as gluttonous as a dog, great combination...

"Sure, let's go already!" She jumps out of the bed and hurries to the kitchen, she's a real piece of work... Maybe I got more than I asked for, sure, it's nice when things are a little bit livelier, but this... Well, I should probably follow her if I want to get something to eat... I follow Kyouko towards the kitchen, she's already eying the food I prepared with so much effort... Well, it's there to be eaten.

"Bon appétit!" I don't think I should wish her that, otherwise I should probably prepare the next course... I take a seat on the other side of the table, Kyouko is sitting right in front of me. Somehow she is strangely hesitant, I was expecting her to dig in right away... I think it came out pretty good, the teriyaki sauce was a success, there wasn't anything I could do wrong with the rice, the fried chicken in tempura batter came out perfectly. Well, in terms of taste, it doesn't really look perfect.

"Wow, this looks amazing..." Well, it was a good bit of work, I had to get out the wok to get the right temperature for the chicken and we'll still have to wash the dishes afterwards... Kyouko seems to finally bring herself to trying it, she takes the fork I placed next to her plate and brings some rice with sauce closer to her mouth, but sniffs at it first... It's not as if I was trying to poison her or anything...

"It won't bite back, don't worry." I feel a little bit insulted, she eats her fast food without a second thought, but the meal I prepared with a lot of work... Well, I won't make anything else for her, that much's for sure. And if she doesn't like it she'll have to cook on her own from now on. She finally takes a bite, I was really getting worried there... Huh? "Kyouko, are you alright?" She started crying all of a sudden...

"It's nothing, just... just something in my eye..." I don't exactly believe her, so I stand up and walk over to Kyouko. She's rubbing her eyes now, I'm pretty sure it's something else. And it's not related to my food, it isn't bad enough to make someone cry, I'm sure of it. I tried it already, it's rather good. So this has to be about something else... I put my left hand on her shoulder, not really sure about what I should do...

"It's alright, you don't have to worry about it, I won't laugh at you or anything like that if you'd like to talk about it. It's also fine if you don't..." She suddenly lets the fork fall and hugs me tightly while she's still crying, I don't understand a thing... but maybe it helps her. I just put my right hand on her head to stroke her slightly and remain like this for a while. I never expected to see Kyouko like this... or to hold her like this...

"I'm... sorry." She finally seems to calm down as she pulls herself away, so I let go of her. It was slightly embarrassing, but probably even more so for Kyouko... Well, I'd be glad if it helped her, though I don't even know what the problem might be... I've never seen Kyouko cry, if my memory serves me right. Well, there was that one moment yesterday, but I don't remember it well. At least I don't think she cried because of sadness...

"Hey, it's fine, there's no need for apologies." Somehow I feel genuine concern and sympathy for her, she looks so different, so... vulnerable. Well, I guess anyone would feel that way, I'm actually surprised that she didn't cry back then in the church... though I'm curious as to what made her feel so sad now, there's nothing that should trigger it...

"Well, you see... I just somehow had to think of... my family. How we'd all sit together at a table and eat dinner... though dad always prayed before eating. It's kinda... it makes me remember those things. I didn't really eat something other than fast food for years and... sitting here at the table with you... yeah, sorry." Oh, I guess that makes sense. It must be really hard to remember happy moments and know they'll never come back...

"What are you getting all apologetic for? Are you really Kyouko or just some impostor!?" I poke her cheek and put on my best 'serious' face. For a moment Kyouko looks genuinely confused, but the next moment she bursts out laughing while still wiping her eyes...

"Gee, way to ruin the mood, though I should thank you for that. You want proof? Well, have at you!" Her hand suddenly darts forward, towards... my plate! She stuffs the piece of fried chicken into her mouth before I even have time to process what happened... I guess there's no doubt, this is something only the real Kyouko would do... not that there ever was any real doubt to begin with. At least she seems to be cheerful again...

"Hey! That was mine... great way of thanking me you have there..." Of course she'd go for the chicken, the best thing... *Sigh* Well, it's definitely better than the mood we had before, though I think that was what Kyouko really feels... I really can't compare to that, it would be like losing my mum and dad, Madoka, Kamijou-kun and everything else I ever held dear... "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't, I guess..."

"Oh, so you call me the devil? You know, be careful of what you wish for... wishes might come alive." Now she gives me a pretty smug grin... Well, she isn't really that bad, it would be far worse if I was stuck with that transfer student...

"It's just a saying..." We get back to our food, Kyouko got done with her plate faster than I had anticipated... well, there's still more and we should probably celebrate this. It isn't exactly a happy occasion, considering the mess we're in right now, but it's definitely... something? Yeah, still bea-

"I have returned to gather more data." Gah! That stupid little...! I almost swallowed up the chicken I had in my mouth... "Sakura Kyouko, would you show me your Soul Gem? I think it might have changed..." Changed...? Kyouko gives Kyubey a quizzical look, but she does take it out. Kyubey jumps onto the table and takes a closer look at it... "Yes, it seems as if this would support our newest speculations..."

"Would ya mind telling me just what the hell you're trying to say!? What speculations!?" It doesn't look much different to me, but maybe Kyubey can 'sense' it or something... Or maybe it wasn't about our Soul Gem in the first place?

"It might be difficult for you to see, but the synchronisation of your Soul Gems has progressed." Both of us look at him dumbfounded. "I should probably rephrase that... The violet line has grown. Do you understand that?" Oh, yeah, I guess it did, a little bit... "You see, I have observed you and you seemed to get along rather well, considering previous interactions. I think there is a resonance in you Soul Gems, they react to each other."

"Huh, sounds a little bit like chemical bond, is that close enough?" Kyouko looks just as confused as before, but it might help me to put this into a context I understand... I think I understand what he's getting at... "Just to make it simpler for all of us, let's go through your terms. Synchronisation refers to the part where our Soul Gems are merging. Resonance... you're saying our Soul Gems are reacting to each other, but how?"

"Your comparison to chemistry is a rather helpful one. You seem to understand the part about synchronisation, both react and become a new substance, good... and the resonance... I didn't mean that in a scientific way. All I said was that your Soul Gems respond to each other, depending on your behaviour and thoughts towards each other. Your behaviour is basically like pressure and other things influencing reactions in chemistry. I will need to observe this a little longer, there could be other explanations as well, the time we had so far is too little to draw a conclusion."

"So, you're saying... that we'd merge if we get along and divide if we fought all the time?" If that was the case all we'd have to do is fight again and we could be free...? I'd feel kind of bad about doing that, just when I started getting along with Kyouko, but...

"Not so fast. Your assumption could be correct, but that's rather unlikely. It wouldn't exactly divide your Soul Gems, I think the right word would be... decompose." What!? If we don't get along our Soul Gems **DECOMPOSE!?** "I think that would rather kill you, but I suppose it's your choice, you can take the chance... It's just speculation so far, we'd have further data if you tried it, but we'd rather observe this phenomenon a little longer."

"I was kind of wondering about that before, you've been doing this for a while, haven't you? How come something like this never happened?" I don't really know much about Kyubey, but I think he's been here for a long time, at least he hinted at that... If he and his predecessors had done that for a long time something like this would have to have happened before, right?

"We have observed and interacted with humanity almost since they started walking on two legs. I suppose that the chances were always rather low if you consider the requirements... Two Magical Girls have to meet, that isn't very common in the first place. That is not to say that none have ever attempted what you did, of course. Some tried to use the Soul Gems of fellow Magical Girls as Grief Seeds, others just pushed theirs together for different reasons... However, this is the first time two Soul Gems started to merge because of it."

"So, like, what's so different 'bout us?" Exactly my question, we never really got along or anything... though we've been getting along surprisingly well so far... Well, no easy way out, apparently. We could risk it, but I'm not really a fan of decomposing... Yeah, who knows just what exactly that's supposed to mean, I don't think I'd even want to know that... yeah, I guess I'll rather stick with the devil I know...

"Well, we don't know, to be honest. It could have something to do with your emotions, whatever they might be. Then again, Soul Gems can defy logic and it's rather difficult to determine any general constants." Not much help, but at least he's honest, I guess... both of us resume eating. Come to think of it, I should probably make my call to school, if I don't do it now school will be over...

"One more thing... since we pretty much share a Soul Gem, does that mean we share our resources as well? As in our magical power and the condition of our Soul Gem?" I'm not even sure if I should call it a Soul Gem or two, I guess I'll just stick with one... Well, I might as well see it as one Soul Gem, we can't separate them, so it might as well be one... it's pretty confusing...

"We would think so, it's possible that one half isn't as tainted as the other. But if we're not mistaken either of you turning to a Witch or either half of the Soul Gem shattering will affect the other individual in the same way." So we'd better watch it, I guess... One of us dying or turning would be bad enough on its own, but both of us... I'm pretty sure that the transfer student wouldn't be able to handle both of us as Witches at once...

"Well, thanks for the info. Kyouko, I'll make a call, see you in a moment." I stand up and walk towards the door, Kyouko just gives me a short nod, she doesn't even look up... Geez, she should really learn a thing or two about manners... I guess I admire her for that a little bit, somewhere... sometimes I'd like to be like that, not giving a care about manners or morale... but that just wouldn't be me, would it...?

...

**Kyouko's POV**

...

"Alright, now get lost..." I shoo that stupid thing away. I guess my... our situation hasn't really improved, huh? 'Till death do us part' or what? Probably, at least there's no solution in sight and our lives aren't exactly endless... Well, if her cooking stays as good as it is I don't think I'll really mind it all that much. That's gotta be the best I ate in years... though I surprised myself back then when I just started crying all of a sudden...

Though Sayaka's reaction was by far the bigger surprise... I guess she does care for me, somewhere behind all that justice she puts up. At least I don't think she truly believes in it as much as she'd like others to think... or maybe I'm misreading something, I dunno. Frankly, I don't even care, but it felt good... I didn't have anyone to turn to for the last few years, it's good to know that there is someone like that...

Of course that doesn't mean I'll do that on a regular basis from now on... but it felt kinda relieving, sharing all of that stuff with someone... I don't really know why I told her in the first place, but I guess it all worked out, in the end. What we have right now is better than what I had in forever and I'll protect it. Sayaka as well, I won't just stand by and watch her getting beaten halfway to death any longer...

That's right, from now on those aren't 'her' fights or 'my' Grief Seeds, it's all 'ours'. Our fights and our Grief Seeds. I guess that kind of thinking will need some time until I'm getting used to it... it was just 'me', ever since I left Mami. I'm actually surprised she made it so far, I'd have expected her to kick the bucket after a year or so... but it's been three years since then and she only died recently...

Come to think of it, I never asked what happened to her... I guess it doesn't really matter, we didn't talk for three years. And now she's dead, just like that... I guess that's how life as a Magical Girl goes, you kill a couple o' Witches, get some Grief Seeds if you're lucky and survive some years, if you get really lucky... then you're killed and no one remembers a thing. Well, if you're lucky, apparently...

Yeah, that's the kind of life we can look forward to. Kinda sucks, now that I think about it... then again, that hasn't changed at all, it's been this way for a long time now, at least I'm not alone with it any longer. Of course I wouldn't tell Sayaka, but I'm actually... kind of happy that things turned out the way they did... Tch, what am I even thinking!? Am I going soft or what? Yeah, like hell!

Well, maybe being just a little bit softer wouldn't harm me, at least with Sayaka... I didn't let anyone get close to me, I didn't want to lose someone or be lost, but... I can't lose Sayaka and she can't lose me, even if we wanted to lose each other. If I die so does she, if she turns into a Witch so do I... that's a really unsettling thought, but it also... makes me feel at ease, somehow. I don't have to worry about losing something important again...

Gee, I feel as if I was losing it. Just what am I thinking? Being glad that we'll die together or turn into twisted versions of our former self? *Sigh* I just dunno how to describe it. It feels disturbing, but at the same time it's strangely comforting. Well, if we're good enough we might make it for a year or two. Heck, who even said that we can't live longer?! If we grow strong enough there'll be nothing that could kill us...

Right, I've made my decision. I will live and so will Sayaka, we'll have a happy life in spite of all that crap, one way or another! I guess I'll have to help Sayaka getting the hang of fighting, she did really well, considering how little experience she had so far, but she was way too reckless. Sure, she can heal some scratches, maybe even a whole limb, but if her whole body go crushed by a Witch or something...

Nah, I can't let stuff like that happen from now on. She'll have to learn how to fight and I'll have to learn teamwork, I guess. It's been a long time since I last gave that a shot... I guess I was going to try it with Homura, but I don't think we'd make a great team... we're both lone wolfs and don't trust each other. It'll be pretty difficult to get used to all those things again... Sayaka on the other hand... I don't think she'd be bad at teamwork, but she lacks experience.

And our relationship was always pretty rocky. At least now I don't need to prove that she can trust me, even if she thinks that I'm completely selfish after all of this. If she gets killed I'm screwed and it goes the other way 'round as well. We really don't have much of a choice, other than trusting each other. We'll also have to pay attention to our Soul Gem... I pick it up from the table again and take a closer look at it.

It's kinda pretty, Sayaka's part looks like a clear lake while mine reminds me of a rose, in terms of colour... just a little bit brighter than blood. And the small violet line, apparently separating them... but I guess it's rather what's keeping us together... There's a small musical note with some lines as well, that has to come from Sayaka. Yeah, she made her wish for that little wimp... way to go, throwing her life away for him... Well, then again, I'd never have met her if it wasn't for that wish...

Then again, I'm not really one to talk... Anyways, my point is that it looks good, I can't see a trace of the taint and we'd better keep it that way. I could see for myself how well we got along when it almost got too tainted yesterday... Another thing to watch out for, huh? If I'm not mistaken we just end up fighting when our Soul Gem gets tainted and that would make it grow darker even faster, I guess...

Heh, I can see tons of problems for us with all of this already... but that doesn't influence my conviction in the slightest. I think I'll just grab Sayaka as soon as she gets back here and tell her. We'll make it through all the crap the world throws at us, together. And if we want to make it through we'll have to do it together. So we'll have to figure out how we go 'bout all of this. Hunting Witches should be obvious, but what should we do with Familiars...?

It's going to be difficult to convince Sayaka of letting some familiars escape... I'd prefer leaving them all alone, but I guess that's outta the question... Yeah, I guess the whole thing with us turning into Witches if we don't get enough Grief Seeds is a pretty good argument. We should probably discuss those things soon, if we aren't ready... well, there will be no time to do that while we're fighting a Witch.

I'd rather have things clarified when the time comes. That'll probably breed bad blood, but it's not something we can avoid forever. The sooner we get it all out of the way the better. As soon as Sayaka's done with her call we should have a talk 'bout that... I finish the remainder of the food, it really was something else... The whole fast food just can't compare to real lunch, I guess.

"Hey, Sayaka? What's taking you so long?" She's been out for ten minutes or so already, that's way too long for some call to school or something. I stand up and walk towards her room, looks as if she was still talkin' to someone...

"- know, we'll meet you later." Yeah, doesn't sound like school. Probably involves me as well, who else would she be talking 'bout? I raise my eyebrows as she ends the call by pushing a button, she heaves a heavy sigh. "That was Akemi Homura, she wanted to talk to us about our situation later on. She also mentioned Walpurgisnacht or something, she said you'd know what she means by that?"

"Oh, right, you didn't even know 'bout that. It's basically just a really big and mean Witch, much stronger than anything we've ever encountered. We're talking about the magnitude of some cities being flattened, smaller hurricanes, earthquakes and the like." Obviously I've never seen one of those, but I've heard tales before. Always shrugged it off as stupid gossip, but Homura isn't the type to get all riled up by fairy tales and I believe her story so far.

"Is that so? Why didn't you ever tell me about that? I would have been willing to help you with it, even if that meant teaming up with you..." Hm, I guess so, but there wasn't really that much time for that, I guess we kind of forgot...

"Sorry, but we didn't really get an opportunity for that, you weren't exactly responsive to either of us. I can already see the conversation play out in my head... 'Hey, Sayaka, wanna come along and kill a really strong Witch with us?' 'You are just trying to trick me, aren't you? I'll never work with scum like you. If it comes I'd rather face it alone...' And after that you'd get depressed and mope around or something."

"I don't think it was that bad... besides, that's your fault just as well, isn't it? Who came into this city and talked bad of Mami-san after she died? Who attacked me all of a sudden, without any explanations, and tried to kill me the first time we met?" I guess I had this one coming, though I did give her an explanation... but it didn't help much. All Mami's fault, she just had to go 'round and talk big 'bout justice, what's right, yada yada yada...

"Hey, I told you that you shouldn't hunt familiars. Kyubey told me the city was free and it's a better hunting ground than Kazamino. Besides, I wasn't really going to kill you..." It was just a fun little match, wasn't it?

"You could have just tried to be reasonable about it... and you wouldn't have stopped back then. If Homura hadn't arrived when she did... the crater is all I had to see in order to know your intentions." Huh...? What crater? Uh, maybe that went a little bit different from what I remember... I'm pretty sure I didn't try to hurt her too much, right...?

"I don't really remember any of that..." It doesn't look as if she was lying, was I really going for it back then...? I guess she pushed me further than I thought... well, she did give me an impressive fight, considering how little experience she had at the time. She doesn't have much more experience now, but I'm glad that we won't fight any more. She was kinda scaring me during the fight against a Witch, on an instinctive level or something...

"Well, too bad, I can show you the place if you don't believe me." I guess that did happen, huh? Strange, I really thought I was going easy on her...

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry 'bout all that. Really. Both of us did a lot of crap and I guess I did a little more, fine. Tell you what, why don't we just forget 'bout all that and start over?" I offer her my hand, though she seems to be rather reluctant 'bout it... just when I'm about to lower it again she takes it, though her grip is pretty weak. Her hand is really warm though... Well, this went better than I anticipated...

"*Sigh* It's not really something a handshake will make up for, but... If we work together from now on there'll probably be opportunities to make good for all the things we did to each other. You're right, I wronged you as well. Now would be as good a time as any, we should talk about our course of action from now on, right?" I was kinda avoiding that topic, but I guess she's right...

"Yeah, I was thinking 'bout that as well. We should compromise, otherwise we won't make it far. We can hunt some of the Familiars, but we have to get enough Grief Seeds for both of us. We'll have to see how it goes, depending on how fast it gets darker we might have to let more Familiars get away." Sayaka seems to be fairly calm, considering what we're talking about here... Maybe there is some hope that this can work out...

"I hate to admit it, but you have a point. I thought about that and... well, I basically reached the same conclusion. We'll have to see how many Familiars we can take without running low on Grief Seeds..." She clearly isn't happy 'bout that, but she seems to understand it. I put my right hand on her shoulder and smile at her, she looks pretty surprised. I guess I'll have to cheer her up from now on, as her... partner.

"Come on, don't beat yourself up over this. It won't be all that bad, don't worry. But let me tell you one thing. Maybe I was right, maybe the balance between hope and despair is always zero, in the end. However, I went through more than enough shit for both of us, so you'd better work towards a zero. Got it?" I've been close to becoming a Witch or committing suicide more than once, but no more... I'll make sure that I get to keep the change.

"I... yeah, I think so. You really are strange..." You know what? Screw the change, I'll get myself a refund. I guess I'll just take Sayaka for the time being, not the worst price I could imagine. ... Uh, that sounded... not the way I thought it would, I'm glad I didn't say that... Well, whatever, I have what I want and I'm happy with that. I didn't even know I wanted something like this, but now...

"Heh, of course I am. But strange doesn't even start to describe you, ya know?" We're pretty much laughing again, I could really get used to this. Who cares about all of that crap with Witches and whatnot either way? Or other people, I don't care if some Familiars get them. Of course I won't say that, that would probably destroy everything we've worked out so far. Yeah, I'll just have some fun and get my money's worth.

"Alright, you got me there. To be honest... I appreciate it. You being here with me, or how you saved my life... You're right, we were wrong about each other. I thought you were just scum after what you did back then, I doubted you until just yesterday... but I think I can trust you, believe in you, from now on. Just... don't do something stupid to destroy that, alright?" Heh, I guess I feel the same way...

"I didn't really risk my life to save you yesterday just so that I could throw that all away again, you know? Would be pretty stupid and I'd get nothing out of it. Fair enough, I thought you were just some naive kid, swinging 'round your sword in the name of justice and love, thinking of yourself as some kind of knight or hero, but I guess you weren't too bad, you know? I started to think... 'Maybe I could believe in those things again.', so don't screw this up either."

"I guess you were right about that, at least to some extent..." Uh... maybe I shouldn't have said that... Sayaka looks pretty down, I guess she... thinks she failed or something...

"Hey, come on, don't make a face like that. I didn't mean it like that. And if you don't believe in justice and all that crap, who will? You didn't do anything wrong so far, so just get your head back up and be proud of yourself, alright? Others wouldn't have tried to keep their friends save in a situation like that." Maybe it isn't such a good idea to reinforce her belief, but I guess she needs it...

"You know, I almost... yesterday, I almost killed two men in that train... How could I walk around and talk about justice after all of that? I even thought... maybe it would've been better... if I hadn't saved Hitomi from that Witch." Crap, that didn't really help... Hitomi was that green-haired girl, the one who took that boy, wasn't she? I'll have to think of something to say, hopefully something that **won't** worsen her mood...

"Hey, it's alright, doesn't that prove my point? You **almost** killed two men, but you didn't. Maybe you would've almost let a Witch get that girl, but you didn't, right? You could've gone there as a Magical Girl and killed her anytime, no one could prove a thing, but you didn't. You didn't do any of that. Doesn't that mean that you were being just?" She looks pretty surprised, almost as if she hadn't thought about it that way at all...

"Yeah, you're right, but... with thoughts like that, how could I be the hero I wanted to be...?" Pfft... and here I was, thinking she had done something, after all... It's just her trying to reach some impossible standards she set up for herself, after all...

"Come on, cut yourself some slack. Of course you could still be some hero or something, you didn't do any of those things. I'm pretty sure that any hero you'd hear 'bout wasn't as pure and noble as the tales tell. If you just thought those things and didn't do them you could still reach your own standards, right?" I guess I got through that thick skull of hers, at least it looks that way...

"Yeah, I guess you're right... but still... I hurt Madoka, the things I told her..." Geez... How can she look so miserable because of such trivial things? I guess there's no helping it... I slowly put my arms around her, that's just repaying the favour for what she did earlier... Somehow this doesn't work so well when I do it, I'm just a little bit smaller than her, but I still feel silly about doing this... "K-Kyouko...?"

"Come on, don't worry about that stuff so much. Just take your phone and call her or something, all you need to do is apologise, that should make everything alright again, right?" I don't really know very much about that girl, Madoka, but I think she'd be more than happy to talk to Sayaka again. At least that's the impression I get. Yeah, otherwise she'd have never been able to keep up with Sayaka...

"I... I guess you're right." I give her a little squeeze, though it doesn't look as if she's going to cry, after all... " Uh, could you... let go? I kind of need the phone if I want to call her..." Great, now I just feel silly, that's what I get for trying to help her... I let go of her, though probably a little bit faster than I should, and stumble backwards... Sayaka just looks at me strangely for a moment and gets her phone again...

She dials the number and I can hear some bleeps. Still, that was awkward... Seriously, why did it feel so natural when she did it, but now that I wanted to help her out... whatever, who cares. We wait a little, but after a while Sayaka just hangs up. "She isn't responding?"

"No, I tried calling her on her mobile phone, she should have break right now... well, maybe she doesn't want to talk to me, or she forgot to recharge it. Well, let's get back to lunch for now. And... thanks." Yeah, I guess I'll just stick with lunch, shouldn't get so awkward... besides, I wouldn't mind another helping...

...

**Author's note**: Well, sorry 'bout the late update, we were working on some other stories and kinda lacked time and inspiration lately... but we'll keep updating, next time hopefully sooner. Hope you enjoyed it!


	5. Adaptation

**Sayaka's POV**, midafternoon

...

I guess everything kind of worked out, in the end. Kyouko really isn't as bad as I thought at first. Things are definitely looking up, hunting together should make things easier as well. Though I don't think we should start hunting immediately, we'll have to plan things first. The distance is something we have to keep in mind, otherwise one of us would be done for and... well, both of us would be done for.

"So, do ya have a TV somewhere? Or maybe some games lying 'round?" Kyouko got bored of waiting and reading, apparently. She flipped through some of the books and mangas I have, but I guess reading isn't really her thing... Well, that's what I thought. She didn't strike me as the type to read a lot, she's rather impatient. I guess I'll have to look for it, I didn't really play any games in a while. I didn't really feel like it with all that Magical Girl stuff going on. And the TV program just bores me out of my mind...

"Well, yeah, we should have both. All those things are in dad's room, I didn't use them in forever. Besides, it's already a little bit too late for playing games now, school just ended." It's three o'clock, so we should go and meet the transfer student. She should be on her way home now, I could also ask her what happened to Madoka. She didn't answer me back then, so I'm a little bit worried. Though it's probably nothing. Kyouko was right, Madoka is pretty forgiving. Probably a little bit too forgiving...

"Oh, you do?! What console, what games?" Kyouko looks pretty excited, but I don't really know that much about games and so on... I rather do things with my friends most of the time, going for a swim, playing outside or just chatting. Sometimes I also read books, though not as often as dad would like. He always tells me to read more English books, but I'm not really that good at it... oh, right, the console?

"I think it was a Playstation 2 and 3, though I don't really know. Dad got them, so they belong to him. But he doesn't really have the time to do much with them, so you can use them. He also has tons of games... Anyways, we should meet that transfer student soon." Kyouko doesn't look too pleased about that and I'm not exactly thrilled either... though it's probably for completely different reasons. I never really got along with Akemi Homura.

"Aww, just when it was starting to get interesting. Oh well, let's get this over with and come back as soon as possible, alright? I'll have to check out all of those games as soon as I get back!" She really seems to like games, so dad's game room should be a paradise for her. I don't understand why he bought so many games and consoles, but I guess it's his money...

"So, you like games?" I never enjoyed them so much, a good book is better, in my opinion. Well, the more recent games can be pretty good, I guess. It's a lot like movies, the only difference is that you interact with them. The visuals and the music could make it more appealing than books for some, I suppose. But I like books better, they leave so much more to my imagination. And if it's music I want I can hear it while reading. Though I think I've had enough of classical music, at least for a little while...

"Yeah, I love them! Especially dancing games. You up for a round when we get back? I'm pretty much unbeatable at 'em, but I might go easy on you." Well, I guess there's no harm doing that. Besides, that sounded like a challenge to me. I should change into another school uniform before leaving, I have three of them. Uh, had... I'd like to have four, but three were enough. Though I'll need a new one now...

"Fine, but I'm not just a beginner, you know? I played some dancing game with dad as well and I'm not bad, so you'd better be prepared. Anyways, we should get dressed. You can look through my wardrobe for the time being. Though we should buy some other clothes for you, you can't always wear that hoodie..." That's wrong on so many levels. I hate it if I have to wear something for more than two days in a row, but she...

"I was doing just fine with my hoodie, thank you. But I guess it's gotten a little bit too small lately." Well, that's also a problem with always wearing the same things. I don't even want to think about something like that... I'll just have to make sure that things are different from now on. I'll convince dad to give me some money so we can shop. If it really has to be I'll just use my own money instead, I should have enough.

"Exactly. Let's get you some new clothes. Not today, but some other time." I'm not too comfortable about just giving her my clothes either... clothes are something very personal, in my opinion. It's probably a little bit too late to worry about that, I already gave her my boxershorts... well, she can keep those. Though we'll have to buy a lot more. I should also get her measurements for the school uniform once that's out of the way...

"Alright, alright..." I take out a new sports bra and another one of my uniforms. Only one left... well, that's not really a problem. I don't really want to go back to school for the time being. I don't feel ready to face Hitomi and Kamijou-kun yet... besides, I can't go there without Kyouko. I guess she could hide somewhere, but she would probably get bored of that pretty fast. And who knows what kinds of ideas she gets there when she's bored, I don't want to find out. "Can I try the other one?"

"Huh? The other one? Oh, you mean my uniform. I guess so, just try to be careful with it..." I slip out of my pyjama, take some deodorant and put on the sports bra and my uniform. The only thing missing is my hair, I'll comb that before we leave. I turn around to take a look at what Kyouko's doing... "Wha-!? Why aren't you wearing the boxershorts I gave you!?" She's just browsing through my clothes, bar naked! Just what is she...!? I quickly turn around, seeing her posterior was more than enough for me already...

"Oh, yeah, I kinda forgot 'bout that. But I didn't really need it anyways if I was just gonna wear pyjamas." Is she... for real? I thought that would go without saying...

"You're supposed to wear them under the pyjamas!" I stare at the wall, intend on not turning around...

"First time I ever heard something like that. Fine, I guess I'll get them..." She just leaves the room, still completely naked... How can she be so casual like that!? If it was her house and we'd been friends for some months or years, alright... but we barely know each other and those aren't her house or her clothes! I'm just glad dad isn't around, that would make me feel even more worse. Mum would probably have a heart attack if she was here...

"And take your dirty clothes to the next room to the right, just leave them there, I'll take care of it." I don't have any dirty clothes with me. Just the underwear from before, but Kyouko definitely needs her hoodie back until she gets new clothes. She's a real piece of work, seriously... though I think I would have done this even if we weren't connected. Had I known about her living conditions, that is... I really don't get her.

"Sure, sure..." She sounds slightly annoyed, but I guess she'll do it. Aren't all those things self-evident...? Well, I guess not, dad isn't much better. Mum always got angry with him as well, maybe that's why they don't live together any more? Sounds pretty trivial, but I understand that, now that I have to do those tasks. Kyouko comes back into my room and I hurry out, she's still almost naked... Well, I'll just take care of her clothes.

This will be difficult on both of us, I guess. It's a pretty big change, after all. *Sigh* Well, there's no helping it. I will just have to show her how to use the washing machine some other day, then she can do it herself. Though she saved my life, doesn't that make me... indebted to her? She said we should just start over, but... Argh, this is driving me nuts! I just stuff her things into the washing machine, put in some washing powder and set the right temperature.

"Are you ready, Kyouko? We should leave now." I'm kind of curious as to what that transfer student has to say, but I'm not exactly keen on meeting her again. Kyouko said that she helped her out, though not much. I guess I should thank her as well, for trying to save me, for protecting Madoka... I don't trust her and her 'attempt' to save me was just an act, but I feel as if she was honest about protecting Madoka. Something I failed to do, I only made things worse...

"Yeah, I'm coming!" I step out of the laundry room and the door to my room opens almost at the same time. Kyouko, she looks... wow. I didn't think it would actually suit her, but she looks pretty good in our school uniform... hm, the ribbon is a mess, but that only makes it seem more fitting for her. Her red hair looks pretty much the same as always, it goes well with the uniform. "Well, it's a little bit too big for me, but it'll do for the day. Whaddya think?"

"It looks great on you! Wait, I'll fix the ribbon for you." I lean forward and straighten it before fastening it again. Oh, the uniform is also a little bit crinkled... I pull a little bit at it to straighten it up, here we go. "Much better. It looks really good on you, honestly." She looks a little bit... embarrassed? Well, I guess she didn't receive much praise for anything in a long time. I can't help feeling compassion for her now...

"Hey, I can do that myself, y'know? But thanks, I guess..." Huh, Kyouko can actually look pretty cute, who'd have thought? I guess I never really got a closer look at her. Well, I did get pretty close in combat, but I didn't have much of a chance to observe her then... Or at that time in the church, though I acted pretty childish, 'tight as a clamp', as my dad would've put it. "Hey, quit staring... Let's get going already!"

"I wasn't staring..." She has a pretty smug smile now, as if to say 'Yeah, sure.', so much for being cute... whatever. I guess we really should get going.

...

"Kyouko, can we make a small detour?" She was the one leading me, but I want to go somewhere else, where we first met...

"Huh? Sure, why not?" I don't know where she got it or when, but she has some pocky again... well, I guess that's only fitting, I almost can't imagine Kyouko without something to eat in her mouth. Or at least in her pockets. It's just a package of pocky, though I still hope she didn't steal it... of course, and how else would she get it without any money? I guess I'll buy her some, at least I know where she got it from that way.

"Alright, just come with me for a second." The dark alley is just around the corner. Kyouko doesn't seem to recognise it right away, but I do... right there is the hole, it was covered with a board for the time being, I guess. It's not really deep or anything, but still ten centimetres below the ground around it. If her spear did something like that to solid concrete... yeah, I don't think my body could have tolerated that.

"So, what're we doin' here?" Kyouko peeks into the alley, I guess she really doesn't remember. I put my hands around the board and lift it up.

"You really don't remember? This is where we first met." She finally seems to realise it, it looks as if she was feeling a little bit guilty now... "I guess it goes without saying, but an impact like this would've killed me for sure."

"Uh... I see, I'm... sorry, I guess. I didn't really think 'bout it at that time, you were stronger than I had anticipated and... well, I guess I didn't really hold back at that time." *Sigh* I suppose I got pretty lucky that the transfer student arrived when she did. I should thank her, as much as I hate the idea. As for Kyouko... I guess it's alright, she probably didn't mean to do that. It was just something she did in the heat of the moment.

"No harm done, right? No hard feelings. So, does that make us even?" She tried to take my life once and she saved me... twice. Uh... no, the first time against that Witch doesn't count, I could've gotten out of that one myself! I think... Alright, alright, it doesn't make us even, I get it. I guess that means I'll just have to fight extra hard when we meet the next Witch. No problem for Magical Girl Sayaka-chan!

"Man, I thought we had that whole crap with debts behind us already. Doesn't matter what we did before **that** happened, just forget 'bout it." Kyouko says that as if it was an easy thing to do, but I'll definitely repay my debt to her. I mean, she said I could still be a hero and a hero has to repay her debts, right? Right. Some hero I'd be without repaying my debts!

"I guess we agreed on that, huh? Oh well, we should get going already." Well, I still don't feel much more enthusiastic about meeting that transfer student, but there's probably no helping it. If Kyouko is right about everything we'll need her help against that Walpurgisnacht Witch. Yeah, we should go there and see what she has to say. Somehow this alley almost has a nostalgic feeling for me, the place where I first met Kyouko... though it wasn't that long ago.

"Sure, just follow me." She really seems to carry a lot of pocky with her, I wonder how much she actually eats every day. That can't be good for her, all those sweets and the fast food, we'll have to work on her diet. Though she probably won't like that...

...

*Riiiiing* *Riiiiiiiiiing*

"Kyouko, stop pressing that bloody thing already!" Seriously, is she trying to annoy the transfer student before we even meet face to face? I can't say I like her, but if we have to cooperate I'd rather be on good terms with her. She'll probably rub all of this in my face, won't she? How I didn't use Grief Seeds, how I didn't accept her 'help', how I will let some Familiars escape from now on...

"It's fine, it's not as if we asked her for a meeting." She's right about that, but that's not really a reason to be so rude. This building somehow looks out of place here, it rather seems to be European, maybe Renaissance style? The door opens, she really didn't take long. The transfer student, Akemi Homura. She looks slightly irritated, but it doesn't take her more than a moment to regain her composure.

"You came. Well, come on in." She seems to be as monotone as ever... Both of us follow her in. There are no decorations, it's just a plain white room with some seating accommodations. They kind of look like the mats we use during PE, though smaller. There's already someone sitting at the table in the middle, that's our school uniform. Her pink hair leaves me with no doubt...

"**SAYAKA-CHAN!**" Madoka literally jumps out of her seat and starts running towards me, she was probably very worried. As soon as she reaches me she throws her arms around my neck, she almost knocked me flying. I definitely wasn't expecting this. I mean, I acted pretty poorly towards Madoka just yesterday... "Sayaka-chan... you're such an idiot!" She's crying, I feel even worse for everything that happened now...

"You're right, Madoka, I'm sorry. I really was an idiot." I gently wrap my arms around Madoka's back and stroke her. I didn't think I'd get to see Madoka again, but I'm glad, so very glad... I almost feel like crying myself, but I can't, not right now. I need to be strong, to show Madoka that everything is alright again. I laugh sheepishly, as I always would when something went wrong. "Ehehe. I really messed up, big time. I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you. But you'll still be my wife, won't you?"

"O-Of... *Hic* Of course..." Wha-?! Somehow it felt as if someone was glaring daggers at me just now... I turn my head around to look over my shoulder, but neither Kyouko nor the transfer student look at us and there's no one else... maybe it was just me? Well, whatever, I'm really happy right now. Madoka seems to feel the same, so it's fine. I was only thinking about how miserable I felt, I didn't think about how Madoka might feel at all... Or rather, I did think about it, but I still did what I did.

"Ahem." The transfer student... I guess she did have something to discuss with us, that's why she called in the first place. But Madoka doesn't seem to want to let go, she's still hugging me. I also want to enjoy this moment, it's like waking up from a nightmare. Well, not exactly, the nightmare part ended yesterday, but this is like a confirmation that I'm back to reality... "**Ahem**. There was something we had to talk about."

"I'm sorry, Homura-chan... *Hic* but there are some things I want to talk about with Sayaka-chan first. Please leave us alone for a bit..." Madoka finally lets go of me and wipes her eyes. I turn around to look at Kyouko, she looks a little bit strange. At least not happy, far from it... the transfer student as well, what's up with them?

"O-... of course, Madoka... Sakura-san, come with me for a moment." Something really is off about those two today... Well, talking with Madoka in private is something I wanted to do as well. I have a lot to make good for, especially for how I treated Madoka just yesterday. The transfer student takes Kyouko to the other side of the room and they seem to have a conversation as well. Though it looks a little bit... shady?

"Sayaka-chan! I'm so glad... so glad that you're back!" Madoka... she really is too good for her own good. Anyone else would've been angry after what I did yesterday, and rightfully so. But she? Not at all, she's genuinely happy to see me again. She doesn't start blaming me for anything I did either, what did I ever do to deserve such a great friend? I really don't know, but right now I'm beyond happy to see her again.

"Madoka, I'm really sorry. Forget anything I said, alright? I was just wrong, absolutely stupid and wrong. If there's anything I can do to make good for it I'll do it, just tell me what." I wasn't really honest while Kyouko and the transfer student were around, this is just between Madoka and me. She deserved a proper apology, she did nothing wrong and I still lashed out at her...

"No, Sayaka, you were right... It's really my fault that you got hurt like that. If I would just make a contract with Kyubey, maybe I could..." What?! This isn't her fault at all! This is all my fault, I can't allow her to do that. "I'm scared about it, but... you know, I've been thinking about those things. Wouldn't it be good if I brought Mami-san back with my wish? I think we owe he-" I grab her shoulders, she looks very surprised.

"No, Madoka! You mustn't! I was wrong, plain wrong! It wouldn't help anyone if you became a Magical Girl, do you understand me? You absolutely mustn't!" I shake Madoka a little bit before I even realise what I'm doing, the transfer student shoots me an angry glare... I don't think she understood what I said though. I quickly let go of Madoka, that's not the right way to do this. "Sorry... but I beg of you, don't. If Mami-san was still alive and knew all the things we know now she would tell you exactly the same thing."

"I don't know, Sayaka-chan. She sacrificed herself so that I could live..." Mami-san died because of our stupidity, if we hadn't dragged her down she wouldn't have died. Madoka got caught in a couple of vines from that Rose Witch and... Mami-san was being attacked as well, but she shot at the Witch instead of saving herself. I managed to get Madoka free with the enhanced club while Mami-san distracted the Witch, but... the scissors... Madoka didn't see it, but I did, everything... afterwards the labyrinth disintegrated and Mami-san was just gone.

"No, Madoka. If you threw away your life like that you wouldn't make her happy. She wanted you to live, to be happy. If you become like us you won't be happy and neither would Mami-san, trust me." I would know... I thought getting my wish fulfilled would make me happy, but in the end it didn't. I made the wrong wish, in a way. I just wanted Kamijou-kun to fall in love with me...

"But still... Mami-san was so happy when I told her that I'd become a Magical Girl and... I just don't think I could just let her down like this, even if I'm scared..." I don't feel good about this either, but if anything I should've wished her back. Instead I returned Kamijou-kun his arm... I can't say I regret it though, I'm happy for him. It wouldn't have worked out with us either way, now that I think about it. Yes, I can live with the way things are now.

"Madoka. Us Magical Girls need Grief Seeds to survive, you know that, right? There aren't many Grief Seeds to begin with, so two more Magical Girls... It's really like hunters and prey, you remember that stuff from biology, right? If there are too many 'hunters' the population of the 'prey' goes down. At first it doesn't change much, but you know what happens after a while, right?" I don't like putting it this way, it rather sounds like something Kyouko would say... but there is a point to it, in the end.

"The... the population of the 'hunters' declines if there isn't enough 'prey'..." Madoka doesn't seem to realise the meaning of that. I will have to be direct...

"Listen, Madoka. Magical Girls are 'hunters' and Witches are 'prey'. That means if the population of Witches goes down because there are too many of us we die. Or turn into Witches ourselves." Madoka seems to be terrified by the idea, I hope that will keep her from contracting. I really hate it, calculating things like that, but... if Witches die out we will follow them, so there'll be a time when there is no Magical Girl to protect this city. Witches can be born in different ways, so leaving this city unprotected isn't an option.

"I... I guess you're right, Sayaka-chan... Homura-chan said the same things, after all." It really rubs me the wrong way, but that's how it is... we have to regulate the population of Witches, not annihilate it. And that means... some sacrifices for the greater good. I don't think it's our place to make that decision, but there's no one else to make it. I hate it... but I think far more would die if we got ourselves killed or turned into Witches. Does that make it right? I don't think so, but what else is there to do?

"Don't get me wrong, Madoka. I don't like the way things are. But that's just the way it is. A cat can't just decide that it doesn't want to eat mice because it's unethical. Well, it could, but it would starve without something to eat." Kyouko would be proud of me for this explanation, but I feel bad about it... If there was someone to feed us like the cat we wouldn't have that problem, but there obviously isn't.

"Yeah, I get it. Sorry, Sayaka-chan, I did it again."

"Huh? You did what again?" What does she mean by that?

"Well, I talked about Magical Girls without even knowing what it's like. It really isn't my place to decide something like that and I don't envy you for having to make that decision." Well, I'd rather say the decision was made for us. So much for being a hero... I shouldn't be so negative, I can still save a bunch of people before I die. I will die, but as a Magical Girl. If I'll ever be about to turn into a Witch again, without Grief Seeds... well, there's always another option, isn't there? Even if that means...

"No kidding... Be happy that you aren't in that position and appreciate it, alright? Just leave protecting the city and so on to Magical Girl Sayaka-chan~ Oh, Kyouko and the transfer student as well, I suppose." I kind of wonder what those two are up to, it looks as if they were plotting something...

"Haha. Alright, alright, I get it. I'll leave everything in the care of our great hero, Sayaka-chan. And her trustworthy helper Kyouko and the mysterious and beautiful Homura-chan!" Uh... that really sounds like a cheap action manga. I also doubt that Kyouko would have any of that, with her being my helper? As if. I'm not so sure about the transfer student, since it's coming from Madoka she probably wouldn't mind it.

"Well, I think that was about everything I needed to get out of my system. You have anything left to say?" I don't want to leave Kyouko alone with that transfer student for too long. I don't know what they're talking about, but it looks as if they were up to something.

"Yes, I think so... you said you'd do anything to make up for that, right?" I just nod my head. I'd be careful with words like that around Kyouko or the transfer student, but Madoka wouldn't ask me for anything ridiculous. "Then promise me to never do something like that again. You know, yesterday... you were scaring me."

"Alright, I promise." I offer her my hand and stretch out my pinky, she does the same and we exchange a pinky promise. I guess this settles it. Kyouko and the transfer student are quite far away, though still within the reach of our Soul Gem, obviously. Let's see what they've been up to...

...

**Kyouko's POV**

...

*Riiiiing* *Riiiiiiiiiing* Let's just get this over with as quick as possible, I wanna try out those games Sayaka mentioned.

"Kyouko, stop pressing that bloody thing already!" What does it matter? I mean, she's expecting us, right? Besides, we wouldn't be here if she didn't give us a call...

"It's fine, it's not as if we asked her for a meeting." I don't really feel like arguing with Sayaka right now. Why is she getting so worked up over something like that either way? I was just pressing the switch twice... The door opens. Homura looks rather calm, but that doesn't say very much, she always looks like that. Even when she tried to frickin' kill Sayaka yesterday, great help...

"You came. Well, come on in." She goes in first and I follow her, Sayaka just behind me. Looks as boring as always, I don't understand why she'd live here. That old hellhole was more entertaining than this place... then again, it suits her perfectly. The strange seats she has look somewhat out of place, but they're pretty comfortable.

"**SAYAKA-CHAN!**" Wha-!? Oh, that's Sayaka's friend, Madoka... she can be glad that she isn't rushing towards me, my first reaction to that would've been self-defence. She basically jumps into Sayaka and hugs her, that's... "Sayaka-chan... you're such an idiot!" Well, I have to agree with her on that one, Sayaka really is an idiot. Though I kinda like her, even though she is one. Or maybe 'cause of that, who knows?

"You're right, Madoka, I'm sorry. I really was an idiot..." Well, a fault confessed is half redressed. Uh, maybe that would apply to someone else, I think Sayaka is irreformable... What are they doing there either way? Sayaka is hugging Madoka back, this almost looks... "Ehehe. I really messed up, big time. I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you. But you'll still be my wife, won't you?" Wha-? W-Wife!?

"O-Of... *Hic* Of course..." That's... come on! I mean, they're just kidding... right? Right...? That doesn't really look like a friendship kind of hug, though I don't really know much 'bout that... Sayaka glances over her shoulder, both I and Homura quickly look away. Homura looks as if she was trying really hard to hide her shock... I guess I look the same right now. Sayaka finally turns away again, though they still make no move...

"Ahem." Homura seems to snap out of it, finally. I would've done the same as her, though I'm not sure how I should feel about this. I mean, it's fine with me, I guess... I don't mind that, but... I don't take it as well as I thought I would. And they don't even react! "**Ahem**. There was something we had to talk about." I'm glad Homura is here with me, I wouldn't know how to react to this situation at all...

"I'm sorry, Homura-chan... *Hic* but there are some things I want to talk about with Sayaka-chan first. Please leave us alone for a bit..." Those two... are they for real? This scene could be taken right out of some cheap romance movie I saw in a cinema once! It was a horrible flick, but that's not the point! Madoka finally lets go of Sayaka, though it looks far more reluctant than it should... Sayaka just looks sheepish, that... that idiot!

"O-... of course, Madoka... Sakura-san, come with me for a moment." Wha-? She's just backing down!? Some help you are, Homura. Then again... I guess that's what we should do, ain't it? I mean, it's none of our business. Why should I care either way?! I follow Homura to the other end of the room and drop into one of the seats. Whatever, I will just take some pocky, I should've taken another box with me...

"Want some?" I offer one to Homura as well, this time she takes it.

"Sure. But we have to do something about **that**." Huh? What? Does she mean... **that**? She has a perfect poker face...

"And what should we do about **that**?" I don't know what she's up to, but I might as well listen to her. It's not as if there was much else to talk 'bout right now. Besides, I'm just a little curious about her plans. And if there's any chance of them succeeding. Not very likely, this is Homura we're talking 'bout here. I remember how well her last plan went, saving Sayaka and so on...

"If I knew what we should do I would have done so already... but there has to be something we can do, right?" She seems to be serious about it...

"Maybe, but why should we? It's not as if we had any right to meddle in their affairs..." This is a real headache, I just dunno...

"Come on, that's not like you at all. 'If you want something just take it', isn't that what you always said? I would suggest that you try just that, maybe that will put an end to... **it**." She throws a reproachful glance at Sayaka... Just what is she talkin' 'bout now? Sayaka seems to be shaking Madoka for some reasons, though I can't understand what they're saying...

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Now she's giving me a rather meaningful glance, just what is she trying to get at...? Somehow she looks pretty conspiratorial...

"Let's not mince words here, I know how it is. There is something both of us want and I think we will only get there if we help each other out. On our own we probably won't get very far. We have to work together in times of need." Just what's she going on about? There are tons of things I want to get, but I can't think of anything I couldn't get on my own... pocky, taiyaki, ramen... yeah, I can get all of those myself. It's got to be something else...

"You said 'Let's not mince words', but you're the one beating 'bout the bush. If you've got something to say just say it, otherwise shut up." It's probably related to what we were talking 'bout before, but I fail to see the connection between that and food...

"Very well, I will make this short. I want Madoka, you want Sayaka." What? I mean... what the hell?! I'm happy with just being frie- "Don't even try to deny it, I know you better than you'd think. Probably better than you know yourself..." Somehow I really hate it when she's being all smug 'bout how much she supposedly knows. Besides, how would she even know that? I don't think any me would have a heart to heart with her...

"Yeah, sure you know... Whatever. I don't really care 'bout that." Seriously, what is she even trying to get at? Even if I was in some way interested, though I'm not, what does she want? "... So, whatcha have in mind?" It's not as if I was actually interested. I'm just curious, is all. Besides, I don't really have much else to do. I finish my pocky and get myself another one, though I'm starting to worry... maybe that won't be enough for the way back.

"Well, that's the difficult part. If you would just get closer to Miki-san... that boy is already out of the picture, so she might divert her attention to Madoka. If you were to catch her interest instead... well, my problem would be solved. And yours as well, it's a win-win situation." That sounds... like the dumbest thing I ever heard her say.

"That's not even close to a plan, it's just some half-assed idea. Besides, why do ya think that wimp's out of the picture?" Maybe she's just playing 'round with that Madoka girl. It's not as if Sayaka confessed her... wait, didn't she, kinda? Uh... well, whatever. It doesn't frickin' concern me!

"I would think so. The times she didn't become a Magical Girl she lost interest in him by this point. Well, not quite smoothly, but she moved on. As a Magical Girl she didn't make it this far, but I... well, I 'borrowed' that boy once, it didn't help. In fact seeing him again after what had happened only irritated her even further." It's still pretty hard to wrap my brain 'round that whole time travelling stuff, it's really confusing...

"If you mean kidnapping when you say 'borrowing'... you should've seen that one coming. Anyways, assuming you are right... what are you suggesting?"

"I don't know. I just think we should help each other out, on our own our chances aren't that great. We are pretty much alike, after all. Don't try to deny it, you were always watching over Miki-san. Just as I was watching over Madoka. We try to reach something we can never have on our own, so I suggest an allegiance. We help each other out if we can, that way both of us get closer to our goal."

"If ya say so..." It's pretty weird, talking to Homura 'bout stuff like that... I don't really know very much about her, but she claims to know pretty much everything 'bout me. Kinda pisses me off, that behaviour. Don't think there's anything to it, but why not? I guess I could help her out a li'l bit, there's no harm doing that. "Fine with me, I don't mind. I guess that makes us partners in crime, huh?"

"What crime? No one can blame you for that. I won't allow someone like that to exist. All we did was watching over them, right?" Well, yeah, pretty much. I was just making sure that idiot didn't get in over her head. Still, it's a little bit... "Well, we should probably come up with a cover name, that way we can even discuss it when one of them is around. What do you think about MSU?" Wait, MSU? What could that...?

"Ya ain't seriously suggesting Magical Stalkers United, are ya?!" That's just plain wrong, how did she even get an idea like that!? In that context, watching over them all the time... I guess it could look like that from the outside, huh? She herself looks pretty shocked...

"Wha-? No! I was going to say Magical Supervisors United... It just reminds me a little bit of my time with Mami-san, she once referred to herself and me that way towards Madoka..." It does sound like something Mami could've come up with, I'll give her that. Back in the days she had to give anything stupid names, it was pretty childish. Why'd I announce what I'm gonna do in Spanish either way? And I was shouting it with her, like some idiot...

"Alright, I guess. I don't like it, but I don't really give a damn. If you wanna we can just go with MS-"

"Hey, transfer student! What did you want to discuss?" Sayaka!? Both Homura and I flinch, we weren't paying attention to them at all... I'm just glad she didn't hear any of that stuff just now, otherwise she'd probably beat us round the head with swords by now...

"Sayaka-chan, you shouldn't always call Homura-chan that. She has a name, you know?" Hm, I didn't really pay attention to that before, but Sayaka calls her that most of the time, doesn't she? Probably goes to show that she doesn't really like Homura. I can't really blame her, Homura wasn't exactly nice to her either.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry, I just got used to that. We should probably start over as well, right? I'm Miki Sayaka, nice to meet you." She even bows a little, that probably takes her a lot of willpower. I guess it's for the best, all of us should get along, at least to a certain degree. I'm not saying we have to get all buddy-buddy with each other, but if we fight among us that Walpurgisnacht could become a real problem.

"Very well. Akemi Homura, nice to meet you as well." She still sounds as monotone as ever... well, that's probably just the way she is. They even shake hands, though I think it's more for show than anything else, probably for Madoka.

"Oh, while we're at it, I'm Kaname Madoka. Nice to meet you!" She seems to be way too enthusiastic 'bout this stuff... Oh well, I should probably be nice to her, unless I want to get into another fight with Sayaka.

"Hey. I'm Sakura Kyouko. Nice to meet ya as well." That should be fine, at least Sayaka doesn't seem to be angry. Same goes for Homura, so there's no problem.

"Well then, now that we have the pleasantries out of the way we should get back to business. Madoka, could you leave for a bit?" I guess she doesn't want to involve Madoka in this whole Magical Girl mess. I see where she's coming from, I would do the same if Sayaka hadn't made become one already. No one should have to live such a crappy life. Though it's a little late for that now, there was nothing I could've done either way. All happened before I got here.

"Alright, Homura-chan..." She doesn't look very happy, but she wouldn't be of any help. If anything she'd probably distract us, at least Homura, so it's better if she ain't here. Homura produced a map on the small table in the centre of the room, I guess she wants to discuss strategy or something. I should probably pay some attention to that, even I can't exactly take Walpurgisnacht lightly. That Madoka girl is still around, but I don't think she'll hear us.

"Well, Kyubey told me about your current 'condition' already, so we don't need to bother with that. Let's just get to the important part. Walpurgisnacht will most likely appear around here..." She points to some location on the map, though I don't really know how to read that thing. I guess she's talking 'bout the clock tower, at least that's what she said last time. "It doesn't have a barrier, so the battle will take place in the city itself."

"In the city itself?! We can't fight there, there are too many people! We can't risk all of their lives, we have to get it somewhere else." Huh, that's something new. All the Witches I met so far had a barrier they hid in. Well, there's probably a whole lot of stuff I don't know 'bout Witches. Homura should know her stuff, if her stories are true she fought that thing already, with Mami and Madoka.

"You don't need to worry about that. The city will be evacuated roughly two hours before it appears. There will be a severe weather alert, that's the explanation meteorology has to offer. We will have to face it at the clock tower. Don't worry about property damage, that will be the least of our problems." I don't think we would've worried 'bout that either way. Who cares if some cars or whatever get destroyed? I don't, those cars ain't worth my life.

"So, what can it do? And when will it appear?" Oh, I forgot to ask that before. Well, I was too occupied with all the other stuff going on at that time...

"I can't give you an exact date, the weather alert will tell us when the time has come. Its abilities... Well, it is a very strong Witch and has a lot of Familiars. Pay attention to those as well, otherwise they will overrun you through sheer numbers or lure you into a trap. There will be a lot of rubble flying around, even entire buildings. If you get hit by one of those... I don't think I need to tell you that. It can also breathe fire out of its mouth."

"That doesn't sound so bad, huh? I'm sure I could take it on my own, at least with Sayaka." I give Homura a grin, I don't really think it sounds that bad. I mean, doesn't sound much different from any of the other Witches I fought so far. Sure, it's probably bigger and it doesn't have a barrier, but that seems to be 'bout it. The flying rubble could be annoying, but I'm pretty confident of my abilities.

"Well, I would let you give that a try, if I didn't know the outcome already. That Witch is very hard to reach because of those factors and it's extremely resilient as well. You will need my backup and my experience, as well as my ability." I guess it wouldn't be bad to have her around. I won't reject her help, I'm not stupid. It was more of a joke either way, if I don't make one this would just get too boring.

"Yes, Akemi-san is right, we shouldn't act recklessly. According to Kyubey we are stronger now, but we also have new restrictions to keep in mind. You were just joking around either way, right?" I guess she got it, unlike a certain someone, apparently. Lighting the mood ain't a bad thing, especially not with Homura around. "Can you also tell us something about the Familiars, what exactly do they do?"

"Well, most of them won't do much. Just worry about those looking like girls, they can shoot magical projectiles at you. They're surprisingly fast and they can hide themselves among all the things flying around. Look out for an ambush as well, you really don't want to ignore them." Still doesn't sound too bad, but I guess Homura wouldn't joke around. If she says that Witch is dangerous it is.

"Alright, thanks. We will keep those things in mind. If it appears we meet at the clock tower, right?" Sounds like a plan. If all three of us fight it together we should be able to beat it. There were other stories 'bout it being defeated, so it should be possible. I was kinda worried, with just me and Homura, but now... there's still no guarantee that we'll be able to do it, but it's looking pretty good. Especially if Homura had given up on Sayaka already.

"Yes, that is the best course of action. It could appear anytime from today on, but it will appear before the first of May. If it didn't appear until then we should meet in the morning of that day, it will arrive then." Yep, it appears 'round that time, if the stories are true. Though no one knows when or where, except for Homura, I guess. Good thing she told me, I don't think I could've defeated it on my own without even knowing it would come.

"So, that's everything we had to talk 'bout, right?" I wanna get back as soon as possible, there are some games I've got to check out.

"Well, I wouldn't know of anything else. Unless there is something you want to talk about you may leave." The way she said that...

"'You may leave.'? Ya ain't my boss, got that? I come or leave at any time I like." She has more experience, sure. But I won't let her act all haughty just because of that.

"I didn't mean it like that. You can just leave if there's nothing left to discuss." Whatever...

"Thanks for having us, Akemi-san." Huh? What is Sayaka doing now? It looks as if she was... sneaking up on Madoka? The hell is she up to?

"**KYAAA**! S-Sayaka-chan! Stop that!" Is she seriously... groping Madoka!? I never saw her behave like this, what the-

"Sakura Kyouko... now is your chance. Give her a taste of her own medicine." ... As if. I just stare at Homura, is she seriously expecting me to do that? Yeah, no way in hell. "It might not seem like much of a threat, but you shouldn't underestimate **it**. I did and... well, you should know just as well as I do that feelings like that... they aren't good for Magical Girls." She's right 'bout that, I guess...

"But ya can't be serious... I can't just go in there and feel her up!" What does she think I am!? 'sides, that would probably blow up in my face, I don't think Sayaka would just wink at that. She's been rather patient with me already, but she sure has her limits...

"Trust me. If it doesn't go well I will get you out of there." Very reassuring...

"Sayaka-chan! Stop, I... I... Hahaha! Someone, help- hahaha!" *Sigh* If I do that... this should be over and we can just go home. Worst case, Sayaka smacks me and that's it, probably. It's better than Homura taking action, she has some kinda nervous twiching going on there... Yeah, I'm just doing it to protect Sayaka. If I don't so something 'bout that Homura will.

"There's no helping it... I'll do it." I slowly approach them. Madoka is struggling, but Sayaka clearly has the upper hand... If I'll do it I have to be fast. I'm right behind them now, Sayaka didn't notice so far... somehow I feel like a cat stalking a mouse, this is kinda fun. It's exciting, in a strange way. If I don't take my chance now it'll probably be too late... Well, here goes nothing!

"Wha-!? Kyouko, what are you doing...?" I'm starting to think that wasn't such a good idea, after all... I didn't try to catch her there, but that's how it turned out... I can feel her chest, this isn't good... "Oh, did you feel lonely? Why didn't you just say so? I'll give you some _special_ attention..." Wha-?! She suddenly let go of Madoka and somehow wriggled her way out of my hold, I was being careless!

"Hey! Sayaka, cut this out immediately! I was just tryin' to make ya stop! You were making Madoka uncomfortable there, so I wanted to show ya how it feels. Get off me!" How did it turn out like this...? A single moment of carelessness was all it took for Sayaka to get behind me instead... "Homura, help me!" She said she was goin' to help me, damnit!

"Sorry, you're on your own." That bitch! Didn't take her five minutes to backstab me! I'll have to get out of this one myself. I won't forget this one, I'll get back at Homura!

"I didn't expect this..." Is she...? She's feeling me up, I can't believe her! I feel strange, it feels a little bit ticklish, but also... just strange. "I mean, Madoka isn't exactly busty, but you... Almost feels like a board." Wha-...?

"Don't worry, Madoka, you are perfect the way you are." Madoka doesn't really seem to be mad, but I... there's only so much crap I'm willing to take, even if it's Sayaka doin' it! I struggle a bit, at least she seems to get it and lets go... Damn, had she done any more I would've been the one slapping her!

"What the hell were you thinking, Sayaka!?" She looks pretty confused, somehow this irritates me even further... I really just wanna smack her right now.

"Hey, that's my line! You were the one who started all of this!" Uh... I look for Homura, but somehow she's nowhere to be found... where the hell is she? Come to think of it, Madoka isn't there either... Damn, she set me up! I'll repay her for all of this, sometime...

"Let's just forget 'bout that and get going..." I sure as hell want to forget all of this as soon as possible...

"And now you're just ignoring me? *Sigh* First you're desperate for attention, then you just ignore me. Oh well, whatever." I wanna tell her how wrong she is, but... If I tell her Homura probably won't keep quite 'bout my habit of... watching over Sayaka. She would deserve some punishment, but I don't want everything ruined 'cause of something like that... That's right, our 'peace' is rather fragile, isn't it? Yeah, I've got to keep that in mind...

"Let's just get going already..." I just wanna get home already, at best we'll forget all that stuff by the time we're there. And then it's all fun and games! Sounds great. I still have some snacks in my backpack, so it's gonna be a good day. Now that I think 'bout it, it's been a while since my last pocky. I take out the box, it's alarming how light it feels... That's what I thought, only three left. I take one, the other two... "Hey, Sayaka. Want one?"

"Hm? Alright..." She hesitates a little bit, probably wondered where I got it. Yeah, she's like that. Though she'd better not throw it away, or else I'll give her a piece of my mind... I offer her one and she takes it without further questions. All the better. I guess she's got a strong opinion on stealing, but not quite as strong as mine on wasting food. I don't care, even if it's Sayaka, I won't let something like that go unpunished.

...

We just walked next to each other in silence for a while. That was my last pocky... Also looks as if it could start raining any minute, what is it with the weather these days? Shouldn't be this wet or this cold. Everything should be pink and white with cherry blossoms, but somehow it all looks grey and dull... sure seems depressing. *Sigh* I just throw the empty box into the next trash bin.

"I feel kinda hungry, can we grab something to eat?" Sayaka seemed to be lost in thought or something, at least she didn't talk to me. Now she looks a li'l bit angry...

"What? Food!? We just had lunch, remember? Besides, there's still some leftovers, you can have anything that isn't for my dad." Yeah, it tastes pretty good, but it's gonna take some time to get back. No matter where I look, there are stands everywhere! It's almost as if they were trying to mock me...

"I guess you're right... I'd just like something small, like taiyaki. A little snack for the way." Sayaka looks at me with complete incomprehension, as if she couldn't grasp the very idea... what's so hard to understand 'bout that? If I had some money I'd just buy it myself... or steal it, if Sayaka wasn't so intolerable with her morale.

"*Sigh* If it's just something small... fine. I wanted to go shopping either way, though not today. I guess it's fine, but you'll carry the purchases, alright?" Sounds like we had a deal.

"Sure thing, let's go~" Pocky, taiyaki, ramen... oh, there's a lot I wanna get. I just hope Sayaka will pay for all that stuff... I guess I shouldn't overdo it, I've got some things in my backpack as well, after all.

...

**Author's note**: Huh, not fast at all... Sorry 'bout that, there was some stuff I needed to do and there're some other stories we have to take care of for the time being, so the next chapter might take a while. Also depends on the poll on our profile, depending on the votes this one will be updated sooner or later.


	6. Settling in

**Sayaka's POV**, at the supermarket

...

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, after all... I lost sight of Kyouko, but I have an idea as to where she is. She immediately grabbed a bag when we arrived and went off, into the direction where the fast food and sweets are. It was probably a pretty poor decision to take Kyouko shopping. Kyouko has no money, so paying will be up to me. And I don't think dad will refund for tons of sweets...

Yeah, definitely not a very good idea, taking Kyouko shopping. Then again, it's not as if I had much of a choice, with things the way they are... Dad is barely ever home because of his work and it's not as if I could go on my own. I just hope Kyouko will be reasonable, though I wouldn't bet on that. If she isn't I will just have to teach her to be reasonable. I could just give her a certain amount of money to buy the things she wants. Though I'll have to be careful, if I overdo it she'll just end up stealing again...

And money doesn't grow on trees, so I'd have to cut my own allowance in two. I think I should just be honest with dad and explain our current situation to him. Kyouko won't be pleased, but I have faith in him. He might seem a little bit unreliable at times, but he's a reasonable man. I can understand Kyouko's opinion on that, she probably thought the same things about her father...

Well, he won't just believe me all of a sudden without any evidence, but we're able to produce evidence. Maybe he'd agree to let Kyouko stay and so on, that would be one less problem to worry about. The thing with the Witches has been settled as well, at least in theory. How it will work out is another question, but it's a good starting point. There's only one problem remaining... how will I get her to come to school?

I get the last things I need for the household and make my way towards where Kyouko probably is. Sure enough, there she is... her bag looks alarmingly full and she doesn't seem to want to stop. *Sigh* At least the things she takes are rather cheap, from what I can tell. She doesn't even notice me, she just keeps browsing through the sweets...

"Hey, Kyouko. Isn't that enough?" She makes a startled sound and drops a bar of chocolate; somehow she almost looks like a child caught red-handed...

"Uh... yeah, sorry 'bout that... I didn't really mean to take this much, it's just that I always took what I needed for a week or two..." I guess that makes sense, though I think those sweets and who knows what else would last me for a month or longer... Though I guess it's kind of cute, seeing her fidgeting around with the bag, her face almost the same colour as her hair... yeah, she is pretty cute. I almost want to tease her, just like Madoka...

"That should be enough, right? Let's get going. I don't want to meet anyone I know, otherwise they'll think I skip classes..." That wouldn't be good. I have some good reasons for not coming at the moment, but I can't explain that to anyone... Well, there's no helping it.

"Yeah, I guess so. Sorry..." *Sigh* I can't be angry with her when she's like this, she's completely different from how she usually is. I never would have thought that she could be like this, she was really mean before. Well, it's better than the constant fighting. From a purely economical point of view it's also better... though I don't really care about that. But I'm still happy about this opportunity, getting to know her and befriending her.

"It's fine, just don't take too much. Anyways, let's get going. I think there were some games waiting for-"

"Miki-san? Is that you?" Wha-!? I almost jump around, startled by the familiar voice. That's... Saotome-sensei! Great, so much for not being discovered... "What are you doing here? I thought you were ill." I have to make up some excuse...

"Uh, it's just... you know... I mean..." Just what should I tell her!? I could fake some illness, but I don't like doing that and it's already too late either way...

"And who might that be? She's wearing our school uniform, but I think I would've noticed someone as salient as her." Kyouko seems to be pretty confused as well...

"Ah, you see, that's Kyouko- I mean, Sakura-san. She recently moved here and wanted to enrol in our school." Kyouko gives me a dirty look, I guess she doesn't really want to enrol... Well, too bad, she doesn't really have a choice in that matter.

"Uh, yeah, I just moved here and your school seems to be the best choice." At least Kyouko backs me up, Saotome-sensei seems to buy it.

"I see. But what are you doing here?" Ugh, what should I do...? Wait, this is Saotome-sensei... I've got it!

"Well, I don't really want to talk about it, sorry..." I have to look depressed for this to work...

"What is it, Miki-san? You can tell me anything, I'm a liaison teacher, after all." I feel a little bit bad for doing this, but...

"I-It's just... I... I fell in love and... and..." Thinking of stuff to make me cry isn't really a hard thing to do right now; it actually feels pretty good, letting all of this out, the pain, the rejection... I lean against Kyouko for support, I guess that makes us even.

"W-Whoa, Sayaka..." Kyouko mumbles something and rubs my back a little bit, she's so warm... but that's besides the point.

"I... *sob* I got rejected..." Hitomi's actions still sting, but I don't feel that bad about it any longer. I'm fine with it now, but this is the best solution for this situation...

"You don't have to tell me anything else, Miki-san. Men are just... Ugh! Just tell me who the jerk was! Yes, just tell me who it was, I will have a little talk with him..." Hehe, it's working. Boys are always the perfect topic to distract Saotome-sensei. I kind of missed her strange ramblings in the morning as well, to be honest.

"I-It's not really his fault, it was just... *hic* It was just... Kamijou-kun. He n-never even noticed me. And Hitomi... she confessed to him and now they're... they're..." I hope this won't get them in trouble, Saotome-sensei can be pretty unpredictable.

"Men... they're all the same, after all! I can understand how you feel, Miki-san. Just take your time and come back whenever you feel ready. Actually, give me your mobile number." That's a strange request, but I take out my mobile phone, I don't have it memorised myself.

"Here, just... just copy it." I wonder what she wants with it... well, she probably didn't get a hold of me or my father on the phone.

"Alright, I'll give you a call later on, there are some things we need to take care of... just rest for a while. Sakura-san will take care of you, right?" Kyouko just nods, she still looks pretty confused. Saotome-sensei storms off somewhere, though I have no idea what she's up to now...

"That was... weird. Actually, what the heck was that?" Kyouko lets go of me now and I take a step backwards, wiping off the last of my tears. I didn't think I'd actually cry, but thinking about all those things that happened... well, it just happened and I feel a lot better now.

"That was our homeroom teacher, Saotome Kazuko... she can be a little bit strange at times, but she's pretty nice." Well, Kyouko will get to know her soon enough, at least I hope so.

"Uh-huh. And what was that 'bout me wanting to enrol in your school?" I might have known it, Kyouko doesn't seem to be happy about that.

"Well, I had to come up with something. Besides, you will have to enrol in our school, that's where I spend half my day." Well, not always that much, but it sure feels like it...

"Forget it, no way. I ain't going to school, you can just go there alone." Well, I would, but...

"Aren't you forgetting something?" She seems to think about it for a moment, then it hits her...

"Wait a second... Wait, no. Forget 'bout that. Just quit school." I'd just do that if I could, but I don't think dad would let me and I'm not planning on living in the streets with Kyouko...

"It's actually fun to go to school, you know? There're all sorts of entertaining activities." I'm sorry for the lies, but there's no helping it...

"It is? I've never been there, so I wouldn't know, but... the things I heard 'bout it didn't sound like fun." Sounds as if someone told her the harsh truth...

"Well, you probably heard it from the trans- I mean Akemi-san. And anything she says doesn't sound like fun, does it?" I think it's working, I'll have to apologise to her later...

"I guess you're right. Maybe I should just try it out for myself, I can still leave later if it sucks. Though I have no idea how to enrol in your school..." I guess we'll have to take care of that sometime as well... but not today. I'm still a little bit tired from everything that happened, some rest sounds good.

"Miki-san!" Oh, Saotome-sensei is back? "Here, take this with you, I think it'll help you." She thrusts something into my hand, it's cold! That's... a box of ice cream and some money? I want to ask her about it, but she's gone already...

"Well, I guess we can take it. You like ice cream, don't you?" Kyouko just gives me a nod, I'm wondering whether there even are things she doesn't like... Well, that's really nice of Saotome-sensei. I feel a little bit guilty about how I acted, but it wasn't all a lie. I still feel pretty bad about all that stuff... but it's all better now. I have Kyouko with me and we'll probably make a great team!

"Anyways, let's get going already, I want to check out those games." I guess I promised, kind of. It wasn't really a promise, but I told her she could take a look at them and play, for a while.

"Alright, alright." I make my way to the checkout counter, there's almost no one else around. Well, who'd want to go out and buy something with the weather the way it is?

"Oh, can I have that one?" *Sigh* What is she, a kindergartner? It's some sort of a soft drink, though I've never really heard of this one. Well, I usually go shopping in another store, this part of the city isn't exactly next door. I guess I can let it slide, just this once...

"Fine, but that's the last thing." Somehow this just sounds like an excuse... Well, I guess we can celebrate a little bit today, but I definitely won't let this become a day-to-day thing. Dad probably has the money, but as he always says, with that mindset you lose it pretty fast. Besides, that's definitely not a healthy diet...

"Thanks a lot!" She looks so happy, about such a simple thing... It's truly amazing. Being able to see something like this again, joy in such trivial things... I think that's what I was missing this whole time. I searched for some great destiny, being a hero, a defender of justice, but I failed... I wanted Kamijou-kun to look at me, I wanted him to look at no one else, but in the end I didn't even try; all I could see was my failure at everything, I didn't even notice all the wonderful things happening all around me...

"Good afternoon!" The cashier seems to be in a good mood, he's wearing a bright smile. I think I should be the same, there's nothing to be sad about, nothing to be afraid of anymore. Even if we fight against that Walpurgisnacht Witch and lose, even if we die... I don't have any regrets. I got to see Madoka again, I didn't turn into a Witch... and most importantly, I have Kyouko as a friend now. Together forever, huh? Now I just have to face Kamijou-kun...

"Thanks, to you as well." Yes, all of those small things... I think I can truly appreciate them now. Maybe I can't be some hero, maybe I can't protect everyone. But now there's someone I definitely will protect, with everything I have. Kyouko... she put her life on the line for me, even after all the things that happened between us. So I will do the same thing for her, from now on. Maybe I can't be a hero for everyone, but if I could just protect that one person...

"Sayaka, why are ya staring at me?" Huh?

"Um, I was?" I didn't even notice, but I guess I did... It's just natural, I was thinking of her, after all. "Hehe, sorry about that."

"You're so spaced out..." Well, I wasn't really paying attention to the things happening around me. I take out my purse and count the money in it... yeah, that definitely won't be enough, so I'll have to pay with my credit card. Dad transfers money to my account for all those things he can't and doesn't want to take care of. But that doesn't cover sweets for Kyouko, so I'll have to pay that with my own money...

"That makes 8107 Yen (roughly 80 $)." Holy...! That much!? I take a look at the receipt he hands me. All the things I bought weren't more than 3000 Yen. That means... 5000 Yen for sweets and fast food! I guess that makes sense, looking at the amount of sweets Kyouko is cramming into her bag... I was being careless. And she eats so much every week!? It's a miracle that she doesn't suffer from diabetes and obesity...

"Y-yes, of course..." I reluctantly put in the credit card and enter the number... *Sigh* 5000 Yen out the window... So much for the good things.

"Thank you very much, have a nice day!" Somehow his cheerfulness feels a little bit irritating now... I was stupid, letting Kyouko do as she pleases, so stupid...

"Thanks, goodbye..." I just take my bag and leave, Kyouko can carry her own bag. Cute... yeah, until I saw the receipt I thought her behaviour was cute, but now... I'll have to be careful from now on, unless I want us to end up in the streets...

"Huh? What's the matter, Sayaka? You look like you're 'bout to cry again..." That's probably because I feel like crying again, though for completely different reasons...

"Didn't you see the receipt!?" She just gives me a confused look. I guess she still looks a little bit cute, with her red hair and her big hazel eyes, with a hint of red... *Sigh* She is cute, alright. But that doesn't change the receipt in the slightest...

"Not really. Are 8000 Yen really that much?" She has no idea, does she...? I guess that was to be expected, she didn't work for her money and stole whatever she wanted.

"That was two weeks of housework..." I get spending money as well, but I also get some for doing the housework. I have a deal with dad, he doesn't have to bother with that stuff and I get money, it works for both of us. I guess it isn't too bad, if it stays a one-time thing. If it doesn't it won't be long before I'm broke...

"Two weeks of housework? Well, that doesn't sound too bad, right? It's just some housework." Just some housework... I think I should let her do that from now on and ask her after a week...

"You think so? Well, let's enrol you in school first. If you want any more sweets you'll have to do housework for a week or two. And I don't mean whatever housework you did in your 'room' back there. I'm talking about taking your time and carefully cleaning everything." It seems to dawn on Kyouko that it isn't as simple as she probably thought...

"C'mon, you can't be serious 'bout that..." Somehow she can still be irritating, just not as much as she was before. She will have to do some things as well, that much is for sure.

"Who knows~?" Teasing her sure is fun, though I don't know who I like to tease more; Madoka or Kyouko? Hm, Madoka is always so helpless, but Kyouko actually fights back... Well, why would I choose if I can have both~? We head back to my... our home, actually.

...

**Homura's POV**, her apartment

...

This timeline isn't very predictable, is it? Let's see, it all started around the time Kyouko had that dream. So far there is no way of knowing what will come of this, but I suspect another failure... Madoka was talking a lot about wanting to bring back Mami-san before she left as well, especially since she talked to Miki Sayaka. I suspect that she is a bad influence, she probably told Madoka that Mami-san's death was her fault. That's probably the reason...

If this continues I will have to remove Miki-san from the picture. But that would most likely kill Kyouko as well... quite a predicament. But if there's no other way I will kill both of them and fight Walpurgisnacht on my own. I don't think I could win, but it's still a better option than Madoka becoming a Magical Girl. I don't mind if I or anyone else will turn into a Witch after defeating Walpurgisnacht, if it saves Madoka...

At least I got along with Madoka after taking her somewhere else. She is quite thankful, though I told her it was all Kyouko's accomplishment. I take a look at the screens in this room... they show my memories, though I'm the only one who can see them. Visions of Walpurgisnacht, of Madoka and myself, some of Kyouko and Miki-san's Witch... and one of Madoka's Witch. I can't allow that to repeat, no matter what.

I think it's time to check the news. There is rarely anything new, but it's a good way to observe the surroundings. I leave the main room of my apartment and enter my own room. This is where I do my homework and live, the other room is my conference room. I switch on the TV and sink into a chair. There doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, just the usual things; some crimes, political topics...

"Next up is a special report about the latest sensation of the Archaeological Museum of Mitakihara Town." That... that is out of the ordinary. Apparently Kyouko saving Miki-san wasn't the only anomaly of this timeline. Maybe both things are related in some way, though that seems to be rather unlikely. I turn up the volume, this could be pertinent to my objective.

"The moving exhibition with the newest discoveries of Eric Ronan Sullivan, a famous archaeologist, has come to visit Mitakihara Town. Most of the showpieces are from his recent discovery of Princess Beketamun's tomb, among them several well-preserved papyrus scrolls and the unopened sarcophagus of the princess herself!" I wonder; could this, in any way, be related to what happened? Probably not, but it's not impossible...

"It is a unique opportunity to witness the astonishing craftsmanship of Ancient Egypt at first hand, as well as learning about its fascinating history and culture!" After a while I turn off the TV again, there seems to be nothing else of interest, just some more advertising. I might want to-

"Well, this could be troublesome..." Incubator... it always shows up when you least expect it. Unless it wants to stir up more trouble...

"I can't seem to remember inviting you. If you have nothing to say I suggest you leave, unless you'd rather leave in a rubbish bag..." It would be far from the first one to meet this fate, when I first killed it I didn't expect another one to pop up. I had to hide it from Madoka as well, I was a little scared... but it doesn't really matter, no matter how many of them I kill, there are always more. Now I only kill it when I need to, though it didn't really help either...

"Oh? I thought you might want to know more about the anomalies of this timeline, time traveller Akemi Homura." So it caught up, didn't it? Well, that was to be expected. It doesn't make much of a difference.

"The same kind of information you wanted to give Kyouko? Thanks, but no thanks. I will pass on your malicious advice, drinking poison would most likely be more of a help." If it has something to tell me it's most likely something to distract me from saving Madoka...

"Well, you have to admit that I helped them, don't you? Besides, I don't understand the concept of lying, so how should I do that? This time we should be allies. Both of us want to keep Madoka save, at least until she makes a contract..." ...? I know for a fact that it can lie, but... it's rather unlikely, but there is a chance that it might be telling me the truth.

"Come straight to the point." *Sigh* I will listen to it, for now. It doesn't lie often, but it does. I have to be careful about what it tells me, but I shouldn't just brush it off... it's the only lead I have right now.

...

**Kyouko's POV**, back at the apartment

...

"Finally... now get out the games, alright?" Was 'bout time we got back. At least it didn't rain on the way back, that's something. And I've got all the stuff I'll need for a while. It could probably last for a month, now that Sayaka's cooking for me.

"That's just about the only thing you care about, isn't it? *Sigh* Just let me put the purchases away, I'll get them afterwards." With that she goes into the kitchen, I follow her and put the bags onto the table. It's gotten pretty late already, the sun's 'bout to set. For now there's nothing to worry about, we can just relax. We don't need any Grief Seeds for a while. Though it wouldn't be bad to have some in reserve, especially with Walpurgisnacht coming...

"Hey, ya know that's not true. I care 'bout you as well, y'know? That's why I saved ya and all that stuff." Sayaka looks pretty embarrassed, that's kinda amusing.

"That's... true, I guess, I was just joking around." Now she puts her things into the fridge and some of it into other shelves. There're a lot of those, so we've got a lot of space for food~ "Alright, what about the things you bought? Should I put them away or do you want to keep them?" I guess it's alright if she puts some of it away, though I'll put some aside. I only take the bare necessities, two packs of pocky, some crisps and teriyaki.

"You can put the other stuff away, but show me where." That should be enough for today, maybe even tomorrow. I guess I'll have another helping of Sayaka's cooking, it was pretty good. "I'll get myself some food, alright?"

"Just leave some of it for dad, you can have it tomorrow. Well, if he doesn't come home tonight." I much rather wouldn't, but I guess there's no helping it... hm, it should be enough for now. "Plates are in that shelf, forks and so on in that one. Just take what you need." I don't get why she put the other ones away, I knew that I was going to get hungry again... Well, her decision. I won't stop her if she likes some extra work...

"Alright, thanks." There's still enough rice, though not so much of the good stuff... but it should be fine, I still have pocky.

"You can put it into the microwave, set it to two or three minutes. Just don't put the fork in there as well..." They really have anything one could need in this house, don't they? Not that I mind that, all the better for me. I do what Sayaka suggested, warm dinner tastes better.

"So, you said I should go to school or something... How exactly should we do that?" I'm not too thrilled 'bout that, but I guess there's no helping it. I don't really trust Sayaka 'bout it being fun, that came across pretty forced... I guess I'll just take a look and see for myself, if it's too bad we can still quit.

"I don't really know, did you have any contact with public authorities for the last few years?" I don't think so, I never really did; before that stuff with my family mum and dad took care of it and afterwards... there wasn't much of a point, I stole what I needed and that was that.

"Nope, why would I? The authorities are useless either way, aren't they?" Whenever I heard anything 'bout those it was bad. Why'd I fill tons of forms and go to school or work, just to get a little bit of money? If I wasn't a Magical Girl that might make sense, but I am. Considering the things we've got to do instead doesn't make it much better, so I don't think school's something I wanna waste time with...

"Great, just great... *Sigh* Maybe we should ask the transfer stu- Akemi-san if she can help us in some way. I don't really know what to do either." *Ding* Oh, the microwave, dinner is ready~ I take out the steaming treat, that smell... Pocky is great, especially as something to snack on, but this is something even better. It's been years since I had something this good and I'm not even exaggerating.

"Thanks for the meal~" I take a seat at the table and dig in. I want to fully savour every bite of it. Though I guess I can get this every day, from now on. Almost feels like family again... I mean, it's just Sayaka and me, but that's enough, isn't it? And this is my new home~ I wish I had met her sooner, but better late than never, right? Then again, it's probably a good thing it happened the way it did. We didn't really get along before all of this...

"Well, that should be all. As soon as you're done with dinner we can go to dad's room and take what you want." Perfect, what could be better than some good games after dinner? Especially dancing games, those are my favourites. Playing against someone instead of comparing to the scores is probably a lot more fun as well. I don't think Sayaka will be able to keep up with me, but we'll see.

"Alright, hope you're ready." She grins, that's the grin of someone who accepted a challenge. Would be fun, having someone to compete with, so I hope Sayaka's as good as she seems to think. Naturally I'll still win, but with some training she could catch up.

"Hehe, you just wait, I'll show you~" She's definitely got the spirit, though we'll have to see 'bout the skills. Of course without magic, otherwise it wouldn't be much of a challenge. Time to finish dinner, I have to show Sayaka her place...

"Let's go, time to get this started!" I feel so excited, I wonder what games they've got... Maybe some newer ones, I was growing bored of the old arcade games either way. A lot of dancing games would be great, but some other games I could play with Sayaka wouldn't be bad either.

"Alright, let's go. It's the third room to the left." Sayaka goes ahead and I follow her, soon we're at the door... Sayaka opens the door and we step in, though I can't see anything, it's just too dark... "Wait a second, I'll get the light." Sayaka turns on the lights and-

"Holy crap... are those...?"

"Yeah, pretty much all games. Some books as well, but for the most part games." This is awesome! There're quite some shelves, all full of games~ I can't believe this, it's too good to be true... but it's right there! I don't think I'll ever be able to play all these games, those have to be a lot more than hundred... "Well, look around if you want to, but please don't break anything..." As if, this is a treasure chamber!

"Just look at all those games, this is awesome!" I never really got to play a lot of games, at least not the good ones. But now... I think I know what I'll do until Walpurgisnacht comes 'round. *Creak* Huh? What was that? *Bang* Maybe a robber? Well, he sure picked the wrong day... I prepare to change into my gear, he won't even see me coming.

"Wait, Kyouko! What do you think you're doing!? That's just dad, nothing to worry about." Oh, I guess that makes sense. I'm not really used to living with others in one house... "Dad, I'm back!" She runs towards the door, I guess she's glad to see him again. Well, that's to be expected, it's her dad... I follow her into the hallway, she's hugging him. I feel... I don't even know what, it's a little like jealousy, but also anger. Dad, huh?

"Oh, you were gone? Did something happen? You seem to be awfully happy to see me. You didn't mess something up, did you?" Heh, he's got no idea of just how much Sayaka messed up. He looks fairly average, a typical man with short black hair and a suit. Well, maybe a little pale and rather large, Sayaka's head is where his neck starts. He also sounds a little bit off... "And who is that? A friend of yours?" He looks nice enough, though I know better than trusting someone for his appearance.

"Oh, that's Kyouko. You're right, she is a friend of mine. And I... I think I did mess up, in a way..." Does she still wanna tell her dad 'bout all this Magical Girl stuff? Even after I told her what happened when I told my dad!? *Sigh* I guess it's her decision. Though it's her fault if something happens, I warned her...

"Well, we can discuss that later." I guess he's talking 'bout Sayaka messing up, he pushes her away a little bit. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Miki Hiraku." Now he bows and... offers me his hand? Strange way of greeting... whatever, I just take it.

"Yeah, nice to meet ya, Miki-san. Name's Sakura Kyouko." He looks kinda... taken aback? "What's the matter?" He sure is strange...

"Oh, I apologise, that name... it just sounded awfully familiar. It's just that I happened to have a friend with a daughter who had the same name... Well, surely it's just a coincidence, Sakura is quite a common surname." Now he looks even paler...

"That so? What 'bout that friend?" It's probably just a coincidence, but...

"Well, it's not exactly a pleasant topic. Let's just leave it at that, I don't mean to ruin the evening." Only makes me more suspicious. Could it be...?

"Now you're making me really curious. C'mon, just tell me, I can take it." Maybe he was a friend of my old man, though probably not a good one. Dad didn't really have any friends since he started with his whole 'founding his own religion' kinda thing... well, it was pretty crazy, I guess.

"You are rather insistent, aren't you? Still, that's hardly something to discuss with someone I barely know. I wouldn't want to ruin the mood and I feel somewhat tired, so I'd much rather have dinner now." And there goes Sayaka's delicious food... *Sigh* I guess I had my share, though I wanted some for tomorrow... There's no helping it.

"I already made something, though you will have to heat it up." He just walks towards the kitchen, I pull Sayaka aside for a moment...

"You ain't really planning on telling him, are ya?" I don't think that's gonna end well... he'll probably just shrug it off at first, but Sayaka could prove it. I just don't think that's a good idea...

"Don't worry, dad is pretty open about most things, if it isn't business. I can trust him." Somehow I feel as if it would happen all over again if she told him... she's just as naive as I was, though I dunno what her dad's like.

"You know, that's the exact same thing I thought, back then. 'It's alright if I tell him, he's a good person, he'll understand.' I don't think I'll have to remind ya how that went..." Well, it was rather that dad found some collapsed people in his church and some stuff broke... They were kissed by a Witch, so I had to knock them out. I just thought I had to explain that...

"I know how you feel about that, but I think it's better to tell him. Do you have any reasonable explanation why you should live with us and why you don't go to school and all that stuff?" *Sigh* Of course I don't, but...

"I won't keep you from doing it, though I warned ya. Just don't complain to me later if this blows up in your face or something." All of that could've been avoided if I'd just sneaked away back then, he'd have thought it was vandalism or something... Sure, that wouldn't have solved all of our problems, but I could've done something 'bout the lack of food, the mean people... but it just happened the way it did.

"I'm sorry, but I think it's the best solution. Don't worry about it, dad won't do anything." I don't want to let her, but there isn't really anything I can do or say to change her mind... I guess I'll just let her, even if I don't feel good 'bout it. Sayaka enters the kitchen and I follow her, though I've got a bad feeling. *Ding* The microwave, there goes that delicious little treat... Well, I'll get something else tomorrow, so it's fine.

"Dad, there's something I have to tell you..." He just sits down at the table and looks a little bit grumpy. I guess he's expecting some minor little thing, though it's far from that. This is messed up on a completely different level...

"Well, go ahead. I think I'll go to bed soon, so it is a good idea to get this out of the way, whatever it is." I wouldn't be so sure 'bout that, but it's too late to turn back now.

"I think it's better to show you." She is enveloped in a bright blue light and changes into her gear, though she already knows how to show herself to others. That's kinda strange, I don't think I ever told her how to do that. It's not exactly something you just do, you've got to know how to or learn it on your own, though that takes a while... well, maybe Mami showed her.

"Wow, that's a rather nifty trick you've learned there. Care to explain it?" Her dad doesn't look as bewildered as I thought he'd, he rather looks curious. Well, he doesn't know it's the real thing. My dad was far more shocked...

"Dad, there are no tricks involved... this is magic. Real magic." He looks rather amused than anything, I don't think he's buying into it. Well, it'd probably be better to leave it at this.

"Hm, real magic? I never thought that I'd witness such a thing, I wasn't even sure whether it existed or not. But this definitely proves everything..." Well, he knows sarcasm, that much's for sure. I kinda like that, maybe he's alright.

"I'm not joking around, alright?" Now she manifests her sword, looks as if her dad's finally starting to get it.

"Well, that's a rather bold claim, isn't it? Besides, you shouldn't play around with swords." I guess he's somewhat in denial, by the looks of it. Not really a good sign, in my opinion. I just hope things won't go awry, I don't really wanna see something like that again...

"I know how to use this. And let me prove it to you..." She puts her sword against her left arm and...

"Sayaka!? The hell're ya doing!?" She just cut herself, that goddamn idiot! "Don't go 'round doing something like that!" It's a pretty deep cut, though it starts to heal immediately... She seems to be better at that now, but that ain't no reason to just waste our magic! It probably won't take much, but still... besides, I don't really enjoy seeing her hurt, makes me feel kinda uncomfortable. Even if she doesn't feel it...

"Alright, alright, I believe you, just put that sword away..." I guess that's quite a convincing argument, huh? He still seems to be pretty calm, considering the circumstances, but that could be faked. I'll definitely keep an eye out for him... If he makes one wrong move I'll take him out.

"Let me explain the whole thing, you will understand it..." I doubt that...

...

She really explained pretty much everything, her dad and I just listened, for the most part. She left out most of the things 'bout me, the first time we met and how that went... well, that's probably for the better. Also my past and all that stuff, I appreciate that. The only thing left to explain would be our current... condition.

"All that, just for Kyousuke? *Sigh* He's a good-for-nothing, didn't I tell you already? He cares about his music and that is pretty much it. He has nothing going for him, other than his music. He's weak, in his body and in his heart." Heh, by the looks of it we're on the same page 'bout that wimp. Sayaka's dad really isn't all that bad, he's alright. Of course he was pretty mad when Sayaka told him that she basically sold her soul and life for the arm of that wimp, but other than that he was pretty calm.

"Dad, he isn't that bad! He's a kind person, he just didn't know what I did for him..." Of course she's defending him... *Sigh*

"Oh, is he? Then tell me, how many times did he stop by to ask how you were doing? Did he come to visit you when you didn't go to school? Did he call you?" Bull's eye, if Sayaka's dejected expression is anything to go by. Seriously, I wanna have a nice little talk with him. Maybe break his arm... or maybe both of his arms, while I'm at it. Though I guess that's not really an option, with Sayaka fifty metres away at most...

"Forget that, there's something else we need to discuss... Sayaka told ya 'bout the Soul Gems, yeah? And what happens if they don't get cleaned?" He nods, I guess he got it. Well, as far as someone who ain't one of us can get it anyways.

"Well, I suppose so. From what you told Magical Girls will turn into those monsters, Witches, if they don't clean their Soul Gems with... Grief Seeds, was it? I apologise if I get anything wrong, all of this at once is quite hard to grasp." Well, I'd agree with him on that part, especially since he just learned all of that.

"Ya didn't get anything wrong so far. But back to our problems... That was 'bout to happen to Sayaka yesterday and she refused to take Grief Seeds. So I did the only thing I could think of back then, I tried to use my own Soul Gem to cleanse hers. The problem is that they're... kinda fused together now." I take our Soul Gem out and let him see it.

"Sayaka, you did what!?" Now he seems to be pretty angry, he looks like he's 'bout to hit her...

"It ain't her fault, we didn't really know that." He still looks kinda mad, but that's only natural. I felt like hitting Sayaka as well, how she almost threw her life away...

"*Sigh* Sorry for that, I... let's just get back on topic. That's quite the predicament you got yourselves into, isn't it? That basically means... your souls are fused together?" We just nod, I'm surprised by how well he takes all this... "Oh, and you mentioned that thing about Soul Gems and distance... does that apply for this as well?" He's pretty sharp, though I don't think that was passed on to Sayaka...

"Yeah, that's our biggest problem right now. Well, that and being Magical Girls, obviously." So far nothing bad happened, though I still don't trust this... Maybe he's still just in denial, he could just snap any second.

"So, I was wondering... could Kyouko stay here? As in... permanently?" I feel kinda nervous 'bout that part, I don't know what I should do if he said 'No.'... Well, I could just hide myself and live here anyways, but I'd have to stay hidden if that was the case... that would mean no games for me and that'd suck.

"Well, considering the circumstances there's hardly anything to object about that. What about your parents, Kyouko?" Did he just call me by my first name? Whatever, I don't really care. Sayaka calls me by that name as well, so it's fine.

"Sorry, dad spend a lot of time in Europe, that's why he might say or do some strange things every now and then..." Oh, that makes sense. He sounded a little bit strange, I guess he has an accent or something. That handshake thing was probably 'cause of that as well.

"Well, that won't be a problem, can we just leave it at that?" I don't really feel like talking 'bout all that stuff.

"I apologise, Sakura-san, I will have to arrange that with your parents. You can't just live here, there are forms to fill in and the change in address needs to be registered." Sounds pretty complicated and boring... I guess it's a good thing this won't be necessary.

"Ya can't really do that, they're dead." I didn't really wanna talk about all of that, but I guess there's no helping it...

"Oh, I didn't know that, sorry. What about your foster parents? Or did you live in an orphanage?" That's exactly why I didn't want to... well, that and the bad memories.

"I lived on my own, I didn't really have any contact with the authorities for some years and I'm homeless right now." He looks pretty surprised, I guess that's understandable. It's not really common for girls to live on their own, much less on the street...

"That's... not really making all of this any easier. We will have to register you somewhere. Did you go to school before that?" I'm homeless and he asks me if I went to school?

"Nope, never did." He just shakes his head... not really a good sign, I guess. Oh well, we'll figure something out. Can't be that hard, right?

"And... what are you going to do about your situation? If the maximum distance is fifty metres you will have to go to school, Sakura-san." *Sigh* Sayaka could just as well stay home, it's not as if we'd live long enough for her to gradu- No, I shouldn't think that way. I mean, we'll probably die before that... but I already made my decision, we won't just die like that. As if there was any Witch that could defeat us!

"Well, Sayaka doesn't really have to go there, right?" Somehow school, work and all those things look so useless and trivial if ya get a look at it from the outside... It's all just for money and I don't really need it, I can just take whatever the hell I want. Money isn't really worth anything, it's just that others give it a value. But it's really just some useless coins and paper, can't eat that and it can turn worthless in seconds.

"Oh yes, she has to. And she wants to, isn't that right?" Sayaka doesn't seem to be too convinced, I can understand that. I mean, if I could die any day I wouldn't want to waste my time with useless stuff. "*Sigh* Let us discuss these things tomorrow, I feel rather tired..." Good call, I wanna test out all these games!

"Dad, Kyouko wanted to play some games. That's alright, isn't it?"

"Well, why not? I rarely get the chance to do that either way. Sayaka, why don't you go ahead and prepare everything? I would like to have a word with Sakura-san before I go to bed." Huh, I wonder what he wants. Maybe something 'bout authorities, rules and what not...

"Alright. Kyouko, you know where to go, right?" As if I'd forget that... besides, I can feel where she is, she's connected to our Soul Gem.

"You can bet your ass on that!" I'll show her, she really thinks she could beat me at dancing games... don't make me laugh. I 'trained' that for almost three years now, she ain't got the chance of a snowflake in hell!

"Sakura-san... I would like to thank you. You protected the most important thing to me, my daughter's life. Of course you can stay here, as long as you want, even if you two wouldn't have to stay close to each other. If there's anything I can do for you, just ask." Woah... I wasn't expecting this. Well, I guess that takes care of my food problem~

"Well, if you're gonna make an offer like that... will you pay my sweets from now on? Sayaka was kinda worried 'bout that..." All the better, for a second there I thought I'd have to... I dunno, eat less sweets? Yeah, as if!

"That is a strange request, but... of course. It shouldn't be much of a problem." Well, that takes care of that. I make my way to the door, let's see if- "One more thing. May I ask you a question?" I turn 'round again, though I wanna see if the games are ready...

"Just ask, though it's my decision whether I answer or not." Why even ask that in the first place? Pretty pointless without the question...

"You don't have to answer, but are you, by any chance... the daughter of Sakura Takashi?" That's... yeah, that's the name of dad... I guess he really did know my old man.

"Yeah, it is. What's it to you?" I can already guess, but whatever...

"Ah, he used to be a good friend of mine. Well, at least before all of that happened. I thought you were dead, you were missing for all that time..." I kinda doubt that 'good friend' part, a good friend wouldn't have let him live like he did; a good friend would've been there for him when he was depressed; a good friend wouldn't have left him behind just 'cause of some religious differences. Sure, he was a great friend...

"Of course. Kinda strange, as soon as someone's dead everyone was suddenly great friends with that person, even if they never visited... especially when talking to a relative. Listen, I don't need your pity and you don't have to pretend. I can't stand hypocrites." Maybe they were friends, at some point, but that was probably way before all that bad stuff happened. It's great to have friends if you ain't got no problems 'cause of it, but as soon as the problems are there all friends are gone...

"I can understand why you would think that. I never came to visit your home, after all. You were probably disappointed by him as well, weren't you? Still, he wasn't a bad person, at least I don't think so." Just what does that...! He's seriously telling me my dad wasn't a bad guy? After all he did?!

"Just shut up... you hear me? Don't talk 'bout shit if you don't know anything!" He can be glad that he's Sayaka's dad, if anyone else would've said all that crap... I guess I'll have to bear with it, I can't really hurt him. Sayaka would mind that, I'm pretty sure...

"*Sigh* Alright, alright. If that's how you feel, so be it. Maybe we'll talk about it, someday. I will leave you alone about that, unless you want to know. Good night." At least he knows when to shut up, if he'd go any further... defending that man...

"Yeah, as if." I've had enough of this, so I just leave the room. Sure hope Sayaka's ready with the games, I need something to distract myself with. Just out of the kitchen, one to the left. Here we are... "Sayaka, you ready?" All those games... I think it'll be a long night~

"Mhm, everything's ready. Uh, that might be a strange question, but were you... feeling angry?" Wha- I give her a questioning look, that's rather strange. How can she tell? "I don't really know why, I just get that feeling."

"I guess so, but it's fine now. Nothing serious, don't worry 'bout that." Strange, how could she tell? Maybe she's gotten better at magic now, Mami could usually tell that as well... or it's related to our 'condition', I guess that's more likely. If that's gonna continue it could be a real problem in the future...

"Alright, we can leave it at that, if you want to. I think I'll get you a futon, you can just play. Unless you want the bed, I don't really care." Futon or bed... well, if she's offering it, why not?

"I'll take the bed." I grin at her, a little bit provocative, but she just nods... not really the reaction I was hoping for. Teasing her sure is fun, at least when she reacts to it.

"If you say so..." She leaves the room and I take a look at what she did. Hm, looks good, a PS2, huh? I saw that in some commercials, not the most recent console, but it'll do. It's connected to a pretty big screen and a pad, it's a lot like in the arcade. Hm, I'll take a look at the shelves and decide on a game. Let's see, I think there's an order, I guess it goes by genre... Fighting games, RPGs, football... oh, there it is, dancing games.

Hm, 'Just Dance', 'Dance Dance Revolution Extreme', 'Dance on Broadway'... Wow, there're so many. Not all of them are for the PS2, I'll have to take one that works. Hm, that 'Dance Dance Revolution' something is for PS2 and I played a game from that series at the arcade.

...

"Hey, Kyouko. I'm back." Oh, she already changed into her pyjama. I guess she wants to go to bed soon... Well, not today! I'll dance with her all night long or something along those lines! Well, maybe some other games as well, but tonight we'll play a lot~

"Not really the best gear for dancing, huh? You sure 'bout that?" I guess it won't really get in the way, but it's not the best thing for dancing. Well, same goes for the uniform, especially since the size isn't right...

"Yes, this is perfect. It doesn't restrict my movements and it's pretty comfortable. Maybe you should change as well? Wouldn't want the skirt falling down, would you?" I guess she's right, I was kinda worried 'bout that... it's fine if I don't move 'round too much, but that can't be helped when dancing. Nah, I guess it'll be fine.

"A little disadvantage makes it more interesting, you'll lose either way." I grin at her again, this time she seems to take the bait...

"Keep on dreaming! I'll show you, you can bet on that!" Hm? Betting doesn't sound too bad, actually... makes it even more interesting. Sure, a normal game can be fun, but it's even more fun if I can get something out of it~

"I'll take your word on that! You'll have to do anything I tell you to! Well, if you lose, though that's not really an 'if' kinda thing." I'll have to think of something when I win, but that won't really be a problem. An easy victory with all the spoils, what more could I want~?

"Alright... but don't just back out of it once you lose, alright? Super Dancer Sayaka-chan will make you regret that challenge!" Heh, it's kinda cute when she's talking like that and puffing herself up... pretty childish as well, but that's probably what makes it cute. She doesn't really seem to be very nervous, she just pushes her light blue hair out of her face and looks at me, pretty determined. Maybe she ain't so bad at that, if she was she'd back out...

"Yeah, as if... I'm the best, that's all there's to it. Let's get this started, I'll let you choose the song. Prepare for your punishment~" She'll probably choose something she's good at, so I really shouldn't take her on the light shoulder.

"Hm, you already tried 'CARTOON HEROES' on heavy, right? Let's just take that, I don't want you to complain because you didn't know it." Well, I didn't know it until just now, but it'll be fine. It's a little too cheery for my tastes, but I'll look for better ones some other time. Right now only one thing counts, winning. And I'll definitely win, if I hadn't stopped when Sayaka came back I'd have gotten a perfect score.

"Just choose one, less talking, more dancing!" She starts the song, time to show her! Easy enough, though the song's a little bit annoying... pretty fast though, so it's okay. Our score's pretty much the same, Sayaka's doing better than I expected. Well, I think I can risk a glance, so I look over to her. Her legs are moving pretty fast, she's definitely not a beginner. But they're not the only thing moving... Sayaka's...

"What's the matter, Kyouko? Not up for it, after all?" Damn, I shouldn't have done that, now I feel... distracted. I focus on the arrows again, but it's too late already... damn, I can't be losing! But I can't stop thinking 'bout that either. Just another glance... I never really noticed, but she's... pretty well endowed. No, I've got to focus on the screen! No way, there's no way this is happening... I underestimated Sayaka, that was a big mistake.

"No way in hell... this can't be happening!" I stare at the screen, as if that'd change anything... I got a score of 394, Sayaka's says... 457. How could I be that bad?! I was just getting distracted by... yeah, I definitely won't tell her 'bout that.

"Well, there you have it! 63 points difference, what do you have to say about that?" *Sigh* I should've paid more attention to the game and less to... other things. Sayaka's got a really smug grin as she pushes her hair back and wipes her sweat. I guess there's no helping it, I lost, fair and square. I'm also sweating a little bit now, though not 'cause of the dancing...

"I was just distracted... but ya won, so tell me what to do." I ain't a sore loser, so I accept my defeat. I just hope it won't be something too bad...

"Hm, how about... ah, I've got it, that's perfect! You will have to clean up after we eat, for the whole week~" Well, I guess it could be worse, I shouldn't complain. I was bragging, so I got what was coming to me. Really should've paid more attention to the screen...

"*Sigh* Alright, ya won, so I'll do that. Wanna play something else?" The skirt really is a li'l bit loose, so I don't think dancing games are the best choice right now.

"I'll pass, thanks. I have to convert the couch into a bed, you can just go to my room when you feel like sleeping." Huh? Couch?

"Didn't you say you'd get a futon?" Sayaka just shrugs.

"Yeah, but the futon is out of the question. It's infested with moths and it almost fell apart when I tried to lift it..." I never really had problems with those. Well, could be 'cause I freeloaded at hotels most of the time, back in Kasamino I always invited myself into the better rooms. Not here, but that was... well, I didn't really want to make Sayaka angry. Not that I ever wanted to invite her over, at least not to that place...

"We could both sleep in your bed, right? It's big enough." Reminds me of back then, I had to share a bed with my little sis, that was much smaller. Didn't really have a choice in the matter, mom sold my bed so that we'd have some food... I don't really mind that, though I hope Sayaka doesn't snore.

"Uh, that's a little bit... w-well, if you don't mind... I guess it's fine. Just like a sleepover, right?" Can't say I ever really had friends to do that with, 'cause of dad's religious views, but I guess it's the same.

"Sure. But it's too early to go to bed! Let's have some fun, play some more games." As if I'd just let her get away after that just now, I need to win! My reputation really suffered from that... um, not really, I don't have one... but my self-confidence did.

"What are you, a child? *Sigh* Alright, but just for today." She stretches a little bit and yawns, kinda cute... and funny. I guess the evening was saved, all thanks to me. Only geeks and squares would go to sleep that early.

...

**Author's note**: Well, sorry 'bout the late update, Daniel was kinda busy with some other stuff. Some of our other stories really need an update... Well, after that it probably depends on the poll, if this story gets more votes in the poll we'll update it more frequently. Just go to our profile and vote for this story if you wanna see a new chapter sooner. I sure do~ But I guess we really have to take care of those other stories first, they're long overdue...


	7. Lenore

**Sayaka's POV**

...

"That's enough for one night, isn't it?" She didn't let me go for... I don't even know how long we've been here, doing nothing but playing video games, but I think it's been something like three hours. We've tried at least a hundred different games by now, I'm really tried... yet Kyouko seems to be as enthusiastic about it as ever.

"C'mon, we barely even got started! There are tons of other games I wanted to try out tonight, you can't just leave now!" *Sigh* Games aren't really my thing, I rather read some books or go out and do something with my friends. At least I learn a thing or two while reading, even if it's just grammar and spelling. But games are just a waste of time, I should probably rather study... I have to make good for the time when I was missing.

"That's enough already! ... I'm sorry, I just feel pretty tired. I'll go to bed now, you can play some more games, but I'm done for today." Kyouko looks a little bit disappointed; she should really learn how to be more considerate, at least a little bit. It doesn't really matter when it's just the two of us, I know how she is, but others don't. I wouldn't want her to scare off my friends at school. Then again, Madoka wouldn't really mind and I'm not sure whether to consider Hitomi a friend any more or not...

"Don't mind if I do! Though it ain't that late yet, right?" It sure feels late. I take out my mobile phone and take a look at the time. 10 o'clock...? I thought it'd be much later, maybe midnight or something like that. Must be the weather, it's dark as night outside and probably rather cold. Strange, it should be the middle of spring, yet it feels like late autumn...

"Fine, I admit it, you're right... I guess it isn't that late. But I'll still go to bed now, have a nice-" *Ring-ring* Wha-!? Both of us are startled by the mobile phone suddenly ringing, I almost dropped it... I don't recognise that number, so it isn't Madoka or Hitomi.

"Miki Sayaka, who is it?" It's a little bit late for some stranger to call, maybe it's some stupid boys playing a prank on me... that wouldn't be the first time, that's why I usually don't share things like my phone number.

"Ah, Miki-san. It's me, Saotome." Huh? Saotome-sensei? I gave her my number, but I didn't expect her to call so late. Maybe it's about homework...

"Oh, hi. What is it?" I guess it can't be helped, I have to catch up on all the things I missed. Probably not too much, but it's still annoying.

"We're ready! Just take your friend with you and come here! Everyone's waiting for you already." Huh? What?

"Um, waiting? What do you mean, everyone's waiting for us?" It can't be about school, they wouldn't wait for me if it was some official event... Besides, she didn't really speak in a formal way. It's normal for us students to talk like that, but Saotome-sensei?

"Don't worry about the small stuff. All you have to know is that we're waiting for you at the Riverside Lounge, you should be able to make it in fifteen minutes, right? Get yourself some casual clothes, see you then!" The Riverside Lounge? That's a pub, isn't it?

"Why should I go there? I'm too young to-" *Beep* *Beep* She just hung up on me...

"Huh? What is it? Ya ain't being blackmailed, right?" Heh, it almost sounded like that...

"Not really, that was just Saotome-sensei. She told me to meet her at a pub and to bring you along." Kyouko just lifts an eyebrow, she doesn't seem to be very keen on that idea. Probably because she wants to play more games...

"A pub? Well, alright, I never really went to one of those before. But didn't you wanna go to bed or something?" I would've thought that she at least tried it out once... I didn't, though some of the other students already went there. It's just an excuse to drink some alcohol, but I don't like that stuff either way. I guess it feels somewhat good, but still...

"Yeah, I did. But I didn't really get the chance to turn her down and I don't have her number... I'll get myself dressed, you should get yourself some casual clothes as well. And turn off the console and the lights, alright?" I don't really feel good about doing that, it's forbidden. Then again, dad wouldn't really care. But if mum found out about this...

"Yeah, I'll do that, go ahead. Just get me something that suits me." That could be a little bit difficult, I don't really have much that could suit her... I think blue and white wouldn't look good on her, but most of the things I have are either of those colours or both. I'll just take a look, with a little bit of luck I should be able to find something. I get back to my room and take off the pyjama, now for a bra and some clothes...

Blue, blue, white, blue, white... A dress? No, not with this weather. I don't think Kyouko would wear one either way... I guess I'll just take a white t-shirt and jeans, I wouldn't want my good clothes to get dirty out there. But what should I do about Kyouko? Jeans should be fine for her. Maybe a white t-shirt and a brown jacket? Yeah, that should work. I kind of want to take her shopping, just to get an idea of what looks good on her. Red would be fine, but that alone wouldn't be enough. Maybe green? Well, we'll just have to try it out! Where was that bra again?

"Hey, Sayaka, I'm do-" Wha-!?

"Kyouko! Knock before you just barge in!" I quickly cover myself as effectively as possible, though that isn't too much, with just my hands... Just what was she thinking!?

"I-I'm sorry! I'll be... waiting in the kitchen... yeah, t-that's what I'm gonna do..." *Sigh* I take a sports bra and quickly put it on. I guess I can't really blame her. It was my fault, in a way. I was just standing in front of the drawer with nothing but boxer shorts on... I'm not used to sharing a room with someone, so I didn't really pay attention to that. Well, there's no use crying over spilled milk, I'll just have to keep that in mind. Besides, Kyouko is a girl, so it's not really a problem.

"BLOODY HELL! Someone's trying to sleep here!" Whoops...

"Sorry, we'll be leaving soon." Dad doesn't seem to be listening, otherwise he'd probably ask me what I'm up to, it's a little too late to visit friends. Though I don't really know that myself, it was just about as unspecific as it could get. I put on my jeans and the t-shirt, now I'm ready. I go to the kitchen, Kyouko seems to be pretty embarrassed... "Hey, I'm sorry about just now, alright? You can go and dress up now, the clothes I picked for you are on the bed."

"Um, no, it's alright, don't worry about it..." Hm, is she turning red...? That's it, I can't waste a chance like this! I just have to tease her~

"Oh, you're all red... Do you have a fever?" I get a little bit closer to her and lean towards her, putting my forehead against hers. She doesn't even react... "Or did you enjoy the view from before? Wanna see it again~?" I put my hands around the bottom of my t-shirt and pull it up, just to the place where my bra starts. Of course I'm just kidding, it's the same as with Madoka. Kyouko looks completely stunned, it's really funny.

"Uh... Um... w-what? You mean... no, of course not! I... I'm gonna get dressed!" Even the reaction is the same~

"Cat got your tongue? Come on, just say it~" I think we'll have a lot of fun together, after all. Now that I have something to tease her with I can finally get my revenge for all those things~ But I shouldn't go too far, that might really freak her out. Her dad was pretty religious, from what I heard, so he probably wouldn't have approved of jokes like that...

"I-If you say so... just one more..."

"Just kidding, don't worry about- wait, what...?" I think I misheard her just now, but I could swear... nah, no way. I must be hearing things.

"Y-you goddamn idiot!" *Slap* Huh? Did she just...? Now she's running out of the kitchen, that's really suspicious... besides, I was the one who was supposed to slap her for barging in! Not that it matters, that barely even stings. Though I think that reaction is still a little bit too much, it was just a joke. I do that with Madoka and Hitomi all of the time and they don't really mind. Hitomi always gets like 'Girls can't love girls!' and sometimes she also runs away and I chase her, but it's all just a joke.

Well, I guess she didn't really know about that. I don't just run around and molest random girls or classmates either, but that goes without saying. I just thought it was fun and it basically replaced playing tag around half a year ago. I don't get why Kyouko gets so upset about it either... maybe her father was really strict about those kinds of things. She doesn't admit it, but she probably does care about what he taught her, even now.

"Oh, Kyouko, you're back." Hm, it doesn't look perfect, but it's alright. Though it makes her look like a rogue. Now she'd just needs sunglasses, she already has a pocky. I guess that's better than a cigarette... It kind of suits her, in a way. At least it's the best thing I could find. "Oh, and sorry about before. It's just a... practical joke, so to speak. I did things like that with Madoka all of the time, don't worry about it." Somehow she looks strange, almost a little bit... down? I must be imagining things again.

"Let's just forget about all of that and get going..." Well, she's the one who just barged into my room in the first place. Though I guess it's our room from now on, so it's not as if it was really her fault.

"Alright, let's do that." But still, Kyouko is cute when she's embarrassed~ Ah, somehow I feel invigorated now. Maybe staying up a little longer isn't such a bad idea, after all.

...

"Hey, do you feel that?" I can feel something, it feels like a barrier is close by... that's probably a good chance to test out how fighting works now. We'll be a little bit late, but we shouldn't pass this chance. If that Walpurgisnacht Witch is really that strong we're going to need all the Grief Seeds we can get. And it's a good warm-up, we'll get to know the skills of the other and stuff like that. I take out my mobile phone and write Saotome-sensei a short message, something about traffic problems.

"Hm? Oh, you're right. I think this one's a real Witch, so we should go after it." I'm glad, if it was just a Familiar we'd probably end up fighting over whether we should engage it or not. That will happen, sooner or later... but until then we can just avoid the topic. Maybe that isn't such a smart idea, it's going to be too late by that time; but right now probably wouldn't be a great time either, we should just focus on the Witch.

"Alright, let's go." I think it's coming from... it's to the left, in a small side alley. I can even see it now, it's visibly twisting things around it... and we walk right into it. It all feels so surreal, I can see cartoonish looking soldiers marching around in rows, they're shooting each other. But they seem to be ignoring us, so we just pass them and move on. There are all sorts of pages floating around, though I can't really tell what's written on them. But there's a book I seem to recognise, it looks a lot like the bible...

"So, this will be your first Witch hunt in your current state, won't it? I'm interested to see how your combat effectiveness has increased. The capacity of your Soul Gems has increased a lot, but keep in mind that you'll instantly die if your Soul Gem gets destroyed." Kyubey... of course he'd appear out of nowhere at a time like this. Well, he's not going to make the fighting any harder, at least I don't think so. We just ignore him and change into our gear, then we go deeper into the labyrinth. There are two groups of soldiers and they seem to notice us...

"I'll take the left, you the right?" I just nod, that sounds like a plan. They have bayonets, but they're pretty slow. *BANG* Or so it seemed... they move around sluggishly, but once they take aim they shoot immediately. Now they're... reloading? All the better for me. I just rush at them; *BANG* evade the shots from the second row and start slashing them, they don't seem to have any means to defend themselves. They try to stab me, but they're just too slow for me. Those really aren't that bad, are they?

"Need a hand over there?" Kyouko seems to be having a little more trouble, she wasn't fast enough to prevent them from reloading... These Familiars are pretty organised, I'll give them that. One row shoots while the other reloads, then they change the rows and the process is repeated. I just got lucky, if I didn't get them immediately after they fired I'd probably be stuck evading now, just like Kyouko.

"No worries, I got this..." She says so while evading the next few shots, but she just can't seem to close the distance. Her spear is just out of their reach, even while extended, but the guns don't have a limited range. Well, I'll just help her out either way. I summon some more swords and throw them, that's working just fine. With some of the Familiars out of the way Kyouko has no more problems with them. "Hey, I didn't need your help. I could've done this on my own... but thanks anyways, I guess."

"You're welcome." She might not admit it, but she would've been in trouble, on her own. The same probably goes for me, we would've had to deal with both groups at once if there weren't two of us. I take a look around again, it looks just like the battlefields we saw in history lessons. There are trenches and holes in the ground, I can hear something that sounds like an explosion in the distance... The light is pretty red, just like sunset. It's been getting later and later since we entered, at least it feels that way. It was like sunrise when we entered, then noon, now evening. Next up should be...

"Alright, let's move on. The Witch should be just beyond there, so you'd better get ready." I look at myself, but I'm not hurt anywhere, so I'm ready. Kyouko has a couple of scratches from the bullets... I'll just take care of those real quick. I approach her and put a hand on her thigh. "H-hey, what do you think you're doing!?" I concentrate for a moment, now there are some notes dancing around my hand and a blue light shines.

"What does it look like? I'm healing you, can't you tell?" I get to my knees and tend to a few more cuts across her legs, now she almost looks as good as new. Kyouko just gives me a strange look, but she seems to understand it.

"So, you have to touch me for this to work?" Hm? I don't really know. I move back and stand up again, now I try to do it without touching the places... That feels more difficult, so I guess I'll just stick to my method. If it's more difficult it probably takes more energy, that means we'd need more energy and therefore more Grief Seeds. Looking at it that way it's better to do it this way. If it's my own body I don't need to do it, but this is different.

"It's easier this way. Are you ready?" Kyouko shrugs and we move on, towards the place she pointed to. It somehow feels as if the air was twisting around that place, so it's probably where the Witch is... I look at Kyouko again, she seems to be ready for whatever awaits us. We move on, the whole world around us changes. This is... a party? It looks like that, a lot of shady people seem to be celebrating, they're dancing and rejoicing. It's an unexpectedly nice sight, at least for the labyrinth of a Witch.

At least that's what it looked like at first... Upon closer inspection they are crying, it looks more like a memorial celebration. What looked like dancing at first is them writhing in to be pain... never mind, this is just like any other labyrinth. We just ignore them and walk towards the centre, they aren't real and they don't seem to care about us. After a while we reach a strange house, it's the middle of the night now. The cursed energy is the strongest right here, so this must be it. We slowly approach the door, it could burst forth any second now...

"Kyouko, I'll attack the Witch directly and distract it, alright? You should hold onto our Soul Gem and protect it, it doesn't really matter if I get hurt. Healing you is more difficult, so I'll play the bait. If you see an opening you can finish the Witch, but be careful." I'm basically her meat shield... but I don't really mind, it isn't that painful for me. And I'll just heal myself afterwards, so it's nothing to worry about.

"You're less experienced, so you should stay behind and heal me, if necessary, while I'm taking care of it!" *Sigh* We're arguing again...

"Listen, Kyouko. You can extend your spear and use it at medium distances, you aren't that good at close combat. A Witch is much stronger than me with my swords, she'd probably break right through your defence. It'd be better if you support me while I attack the Witch. I'm faster and more flexible." At least when it comes to evading attacks. Kyouko can attack from all directions with her spear, but I can't do anything from a distance...

"No, you aren't. But if you insist... just don't get yourself killed, alright? That would suck." Well, I could do something... but that sword throwing thing isn't really something I like to do, it'd take a lot of energy to summon many of my swords. And I rather fight the Witch face to face either way. I don't know why, but that's just how it is.

"Don't worry, you didn't manage to kill me either, so what could some weak Witch do?" She looks as if she was about to protest for a mo- Huh? What's that? Both of us halt, there's something approaching. It sounds and looks like a horse. We wait for it to come closer. It really seems to be a horse, the rider descends from it and knocks at the door. The door opens and a... ugh, that looks... I don't even know how to call it, it has to be the Witch.

It vaguely reminds me of a girl, but she looks so disfigured... Her chest is literally open, I can even see what's below the fle- now I feel like throwing up. There are strips of flesh hanging from the bones, her whole body... It looks as if she was once wearing a white dress, but it's tattered and covered in blood. Her bones look broken, some are peeking through... it looks as if she cut her hair, along with some parts of her scalp... Her face is somewhat normal, I think she looked rather beautiful, once.

I don't even want to look at her, it's really unsettling. The rider is rather beautiful, he looks like a young man in uniform. He isn't as blurred as the other soldiers in the labyrinth, something both of them share. She seems to tell him something, though it just sounds like some gurgling and scraping... Now they're mounting the horse and-

"Sayaka, it's getting away!" Wha-!? They're escaping! Both of us jump into motion, still shocked and perplexed by the bizarre event we just witnessed. They're pretty fast, though we can still keep up with them. The only difficulty is the landscape, there are thorn bushes ripping at my costume and the chilly wind, it's really unpleasant. It's strange how fast we're running, but it's the same for them. It looks as if the landscape was literally flying by...

"Look, there are some people..." They don't look like the soldiers or the mourning people we saw before, they look fairly normal, at least from the distance. It somewhat reminds me of... a procession? They look really cheerful, unlike the others we saw before. They seem to be cheering for the Witch and the rider. What a strange sight... but we still need to follow them. After a while I notice a change in the environment, now it looks like a cemetery. These stones certainly look like tombstones...

"They stopped..." I feel a little bit out of breath, but I'm ready for a fight. We look at the people, they're all standing around some sort of a building. It looks like a church or something like that. Something's happening over there. Their... Their bodies... Their flesh is... I turn my head a way, I can't look at that. "Sayaka, are you alright?" I still don't feel like looking at that, but I guess we'll have to, if we want to fight...

"It's just... really disgusting. Sorry, I'll focus on the fight." I draw a new sword and look at the people again... now they just look like skeletons. I guess that's better than what I saw before, I guess that's something. I charge at them, they're pretty fast... but not fast enough for my sword. Kyouko hits some of them with her spear, she's staying behind... I guess that means she's going with our strategy, that's good.

"Yeah, talk about ugly... I think this Witch takes the first place in that category, hands down." It's really strange, most of this labyrinth looked so real, at least when compared to the other ones I've been through. I fought against that Witch in the black-and-white world, I saw the Rose Witch and what she did to... Let's just forget about that. There was also the Dessert Witch, though I never met it. Madoka told me about it, Akemi-san apparently took care of it. But they all looked much less normal and real than this one. Though this one was pretty surreal as well, at least some parts.

"She should be in there, let's go..." I don't really want to see any more of that, but I guess we don't really have a choice. We walk into the building, it's almost impossible to see what's in there. After a while we stumble into a lit room, it's really big and there are a lot of benches and an altar at the end. It looks a lot like a church, at least I think so. Kyouko also looks rather uncomfortable, so I'm probably right about that. There's an eerie bluish light, though I can't tell where it's coming from...

Before the altar is a coffin, decorated with withering flowers. Around it is a circle of figures, but they don't seem to be grieving, they're mocking what's in it. There's also the soldier from before, the one who brought the Witch here... He doesn't look young or beautiful any more, he is just a skeleton with a tattered uniform, a gun and a sword. I don't think he's here to welco- *BANG* Alright, he's looking for a fight. The audience seems to be stirred by that as well...

"Alright, remember our plan." I charge at the dead soldier and try to slash him, but he just blocks my attack. He's pretty strong, from what I can tell. Huh? What's he doing now? He's... His gun! While I was focusing on the sword he pulled up the gun, he's pointing it at my chest... I thought he'd have to reload it! *BANG* I manage to dodge it just in time, to the side... but there are these strange things already! This could be really bad...

"Don't worry, I got this. You just focus on the big guy." Kyouko's spear suddenly extends and she pushes the creatures back, I can't quite tell what those are supposed to be... and I don't care either. I do as she said and focus on the soldier instead, he's pretty strong; but I already have an idea of what to do about him. There are a lot of these creatures as well, though Kyouko's taking care of them. They do vanish, but there are more coming from the darkness beyond the altar...

I'd go straight for the coffin, but that isn't possible, there are too many of these things. I rush at the soldier again, this time I summon a second sword for my left hand. He's aiming his gun at... Kyouko! ***BANG*** Ouch, I managed to throw myself between them just in time, I think that's my stomach... but I won't let that stop me! I get up again and run towards him, I strike with the sword in my right hand... he parries the attack again, but that's just what I was hoping for! I put all of my strength into pushing his hand away and...

I did it! His hand is pushed aside and I use my second sword to cut off his head. At least I hope that works... *Clang* His gun and sword fall to the ground and start to vanish, just like him. The strange creatures as well, they crumble into black dust. Now there's only one thing left to do... both of us go to the coffin, the Witch is lying in there. I almost feel sorry for her, she looks so pained...

"Alright, now we just have to finish this." She's just gurgling and squirming, I rather wouldn't do this... but it needs to be done, this is a Witch, after all. It's morning now, at least by the looks of it. Though it's probably still night, outside of the labyrinth.

...

**Kyouko's POV**, after the fight

...

"Want me to take care of that?" Sayaka looks as if she was struggling with the decision, I can't exactly blame her. That thing looks so pathetic and defenceless, you'd never think it could be dangerous. But if we left it alone it'd just grow and get stronger, that wouldn't be good. Besides, letting it get stronger doesn't really do us much good. It's not as if stronger Witches had better loot, one Grief Seed per Witch. Though some don't carry one, it's really just luck.

"It's alright, I can do that." She grips her sword again and bends over the coffin, I just hope the Witch doesn't have any tricks up its sleeve... but it doesn't seem so. Sayaka just plunges the sword into its chest and the noises finally stop. After another moment the labyrinth disintegrates and we're back in the alley. It's as if the Witch was never here in the first place... *Clang* Except for that Grief Seed, I'm glad it dropped one.

"Look what I fou-" As she turns around my voice fails me for a second... her whole outfit is tattered and covered in blood! "Sayaka! I told you to be careful!" I didn't think that shot actually hit her, she didn't even seem to stagger after getting back up... but that has to hurt, no matter what she says. Just looking at it makes my stomach hurt...

"Oh, that? It was nothing, see? It's healing already, it's no big deal." It does heal, just like all the smaller cuts she got while chasing the Witch, but still...

"Stop that! I don't want you to hurt yourself for me, alright!? I get it, you need to get close to the Witches to attack them, but you don't have to throw yourself into the way of every single attack! I could've just dodged that shot, so don't go around risking your life for me!" She just got lucky that it was her stomach, it could've been her heart or her head... and what would we do then? I don't think her healing ability could make up for that.

"*Sigh* I already told you, I have to fight like this. I don't really feel the pain and it will just heal either way. Besides, I'd be useless if I didn't do it this way..." Useless... that idiot! As if I'd care for her usefulness! I didn't get through all that shit until now just to get some use outta her! Besides, her healing ability is incredibly useful on its own, she'd be useful if she didn't fight at all. But to get that through that thick skull of hers is a different story...

"Listen, I don't care 'bout your ideals or whatever, they don't work here. I guess it's nice that you tried to save me and all, but... remember, if one of us dies we're both gonna bite the dust. It's not something you can just decide for yourself, alright? I have a say in that ma-" *Ring-ring* What the-!? That stupid mobile phone of hers! One of these days I'll just take it and throw it away, preferably down the gutter.

"It's a message from Saotome-sensei, she's asking why we aren't there yet... I'll just write something about the traffic, alright?" I just shrug, I don't really care what she's telling her teacher. But seriously, if we're gonna live together, which we are, she'll have to get rid of that thing. I dunno how she can stand that thing either way, with all that beeping and ringing. Doesn't that annoy her as well?

"We should get going, right?" I'm kinda curious 'bout it, I don't really have a clue what it's like in a pub. I didn't really care 'bout it either, all I do to entertain myself is going to the arcade and get some food. Or play some games at home, I guess I'll stop going to the arcade. Sure has some advantages, huh? Life's almost too good to be true right now, makes me feel kinda wary... I mean, a family, a home and all that stuff at once? Just like that?

"Yeah, I guess so. I don't really know why we're going to a pub, but there's only one way to find out, right? I guess I could also call and ask now, but since we're already on the way..." Hm, what're we gonna do there? I've never been to a pub before, so I wouldn't know. But I can't really ask Sayaka, she'd probably make fun of me... Something's very wrong here, I should make fun of her, not the other way 'round!

...

"So, this is it?" At least the place looks decent. It's next to the river, I guess that's where the name comes from. It'd probably look a whole lot better if there was some light to see everything, but we aren't really here for sightseeing. Makes me wonder why exactly we are here in the first place, though Sayaka doesn't seem to know either. "You sure 'bout it? Looks pretty empty, if ya ask me."

"Well, it's the place Saotome-sensei told me about on the phone, I'm sure of it. She even mentioned it in the SMS." Standing around and waiting for something to happen won't do us much good, so I just go to the door. It seems to be open, so I let myself in. I can literally feel Sayaka glancing at my back, but after a moment she follows me. It's not really a crime to come in here, it's supposed to be open right now.

"What a shame, we are going to close now. All because a certain someone couldn't get here in time, isn't that right?" Huh? Who's that? It's a woman, though she doesn't look like someone who'd work in a place like this. More like a business woman, she's wearing a suit.

"Wha-!? Junko! What are you doing here!?" Huh? Never heard of her, but Sayaka seems to know her. She just pushes her short violet hair out of her face and smiles.

"About time you got here, we were all waiting for you. Everyone, it's time to welcome our special guest!" Huh? What? Suddenly a door in the back bursts open, those are... that teacher, Madoka and Homura. Just what have I gotten myself into...? "We heard about your... well, your predicament, so we decided to help you out. But keep this a secret, alright? Kazuko could lose her job if someone found out..."

"Sayaka-chan, I'm happy that you came! Saotome-sensei called mum and she told me, so... well, all of us want to cheer you up!" Judging by Homura's looks she was dragged into this, just like me. Sayaka as well, in a way. But I guess there's no helping it, if it's to make Sayaka happy again... I can't do that on my own, we're closer now, but she still likes Madoka more. I guess I can understand that, they've been friends for years, I can't even compare...

"Yes, Miki-san, we understand your trouble, more so than anyone else. Isn't that right, Sakura-san?" So this isn't really just 'bout her love trouble, is it?

"Yeah, I guess so. We're here for you, Sayaka." She's been surprisingly silent, I'd have expected more of a reaction from her.

"I-I... I don't know what to say..." I guess I'd feel the same, this was completely unexpected. Not that I'd know what it feels like, to have a friend caring for you... but it's not that bad of a surprise, I guess; at least better than the Witch. Sayaka looks pretty confused, there seems to be a lot going through her head right now. _I don't deserve this... _Huh? What was that? It sounded like Sayaka, but she didn't even open her mouth. Strange...

"Well, I usually wouldn't allow this, but tonight we'll make an exception. I can relate to your problems, after all. So we'll let you have a drink with us, just for tonight!" I always wanted to try that out, but I didn't really dare to. My dad always told me bad things happen when you 'have a drink', and they did when he had one too many, or some more... But I'm not my dad, he was obviously wrong, in many regards.

"This one night I'll let it slip, Madoka. Even if you aren't twenty yet, you've gone through a lot as well, right?" I guess that Junko person is her mum. From what I gathered Madoka was friends with Mami, kinda, just like Sayaka. Though Mami had it coming, I guess. Ideals and all that crap, that's where it gets you. Maybe I should ask Sayaka what happened to her sometime, I kinda want to know. Though now wouldn't really be the right time.

"Thanks, mum! I was looking forward to this for a long time. Though we'll still do it once I'm twenty, right?" Her mum just nods. I guess she's pretty cool, for a mum.

"Um, thank you, all of you. I'm... sorry for worrying all of you, I should've called when I didn't come to school and those things." So even Sayaka can get a little meek, huh?

"Well, are we here to talk or are we here to celebrate?" I'd never have expected Homura to be the one to want this. Then again, she probably has some ulterior motives. Magical Supervisors my ass...

"Yeah, let's get goin'." Sayaka was gonna go to bed before, so we should probably just get this out of the way already. She has to be rather tired now, especially after fighting that Witch. The teacher is showing us to the next room, though someone's not coming...

"Kyouko. This is one of these opportunities I was talking about, you remember?" Still sounds like shady business, but maybe that's just me...

"Yeah, I remember. Though I dunno what you're getting at, so spill the beans already." I mean, how are we gonna help each other? I don't see how this situations would offer a lot of opportunities, especially with Madoka's mum and Sayaka's teacher 'round...

"I would assume that there will be some games involved." Games?

"How would you know that? And what kinda games?" I don't think she's talking 'bout playing tag or something like that. Probably no board games either...

"Statistics. If we're lucky we get to decide, I would go for truth or dare, with an element of randomness. Spin the bottle, card games or something like that." I give her a questioning look, I still don't know what she's getting at... "Look, with a game like that I can help you out just fine. I'll just stop time and arrange... favourable outcomes, if you know what I mean." So that's what she was talking about. Sayaka would probably get rather angry with us if she found out; then again, she'll never have to know...

"Yeah, I guess that's fine. Not really much I can do to help you there, but alright." She just smirks, as if she had planned this all along... I wouldn't be surprised if she somehow did set this up. I'm kinda worried 'bout that, but it can't really be helped.

"You're helping me by being here and distracting Miki-san already. Besides, the more time you spend with her, the less time she has for Madoka. That way I get to spend more time with her~" I guess that's what she was after all along, wasn't it? Talk 'bout a one-tracked mind... "Ahem. Anyways, we should probably get going." I just follow her, though I'm still not sure, this whole situation is really strange.

"KYOUUUKOOO! Where are you?" *Sigh* Too late to turn back, I guess. Sayaka's calling me already, and she's probably not gonna tell me that we're leaving... Oh well, I at least wanna try that stuff. Besides, I was tryin' to make her stay up, so I'm getting what I wanted, in a way. Homura isn't really helping the atmosphere, but maybe she'll be helping in another way. Who knows what games those are gonna be...

"Yeah, I'm coming." The next room looks like a small bar with lots of bottles, probably alcohol. I'm still not confident, I experienced what that stuff can do first hand... but I ain't my dad, I won't lose control and hit someone 'cause of it. Sayaka wouldn't do that either, I'm sure of it. The teacher and Madoka's mum sit a little bit further away, I guess they have some things to discuss. Probably better that way, otherwise it'd be kinda awkward.

"Hey, Kyouko. Come here, have a seat." There's a table in the room, Sayaka is sitting next to Homura, so that leaves me with Madoka. Sayaka next to Homura? That's kinda strange, I don't get why they'd sit next to each other... whatever, I just hope they won't be bickering all the time. Madoka ain't so bad, she's pretty agreeable. Though I'd rather sit next to Sayaka. But that's alright, she's sitting right in front of me, so maybe that's even better.

"Now then, why were you really late? If it was just the traffic you could have easily bypassed it, right?" Hm, yeah, though that explanation was rather for Sayaka's teacher, I guess. I mean, we didn't know Homura or Madoka'd be here.

"Got caught up with a Witch, even left us a Grief Seed. You said we'd need all of those for Walpurgisnacht, right? So we thought it'd be better to try and get another one, and here we are." We didn't even have to use it yet, that fight didn't take a lot of resources. Or maybe we're just that much better as a team... Maybe this is a pretty good thing, after all. I fought alongside Mami, but this is pretty different. Much better, I guess.

"I see. How was it? Did it work out, or did you get into each other's ways?" Hm... I guess it was pretty good, though Sayaka is too reckless. I don't care whether she feels it or not, I don't like seeing her getting hurt.

"We did great! Magical Girls Sayaka-chan and Kyouko-chan are perfect partners! Nothing to worry about, we'll destroy that Walpurgis-whatever in no time at all~" Isn't someone enthusiastic? Well, I guess she's just putting up an act for her friend... though I kinda feel that way too. I mean, how bad could it be? It's just another Witch. Bigger, meaner and stronger, sure, but we're at the top of the food chain now.

"I-is that true, Sayaka-chan?" It looks as if she was buying into it, huh? Good for us, I wouldn't want another Magical Girl or even two running 'round. They'd need Grief Seeds and those ain't growing on trees. 'sides, too many cooks spoil the broth, we'd probably end up hurting each other while fighting that Walpurgisnacht thing. And I wouldn't really want to meet Mami again after all that happened, she can be such a pain in the ass.

"Of course! What do you think? That we're going to lose to some Witch? Come on, get real." It's kinda good to see her this way, at least it's much better than her moping 'round or acting all depressed. I want her to stay like this. Her smile, her happiness, her carefree manner... all of it. Even I can feel happy and forget 'bout all those crappy things which have happened, as long as she's like this...

"Well, that's good for you, though you should still be very careful. Walpurgisnacht isn't an opponent you should take lightly, not even if you are far stronger this way." I guess Homura's right. I mean, it gives us some huge disadvantages as well... Fifty metres isn't that great of a distance, especially not in the heat of the moment. Sayaka could just drop dead if she went any further and that could get really troublesome...

"Homura-chan is right... but we shouldn't worry about it today! We're here to celebrate your recovery, Sayaka-chan. And Kyouko-chan as well, it's only because of her!" Um... I guess so. I still feel kinda awkward, with all this attention on me...

"I really didn't do that much... I mean, I didn't..." What am I even goin' at...? I don't know what to say...

"That's not true! Kyouko, if it wasn't for you... I wouldn't be here right now. If you didn't save me back then I'd be dead, or much worse. I owe you my life, so don't downplay that." W-when did Sayaka get so close...? She's leaning over the table now. Her face is almost directly in front of me, I can even feel her breath on my cheek...

"U-um... that's... but I owe you a lot as well, alright? We're even, a-alright?" That's right, if it wasn't for her... I'd still just be running away. That's what I've been doing all these years, just running away from all of the bad stuff... Not facing what's behind me, just looking ahead. I'm still not gonna look back, but I feel as if I woke up from a really bad dream. The way I'm livin' now... maybe Sayaka was right 'bout magic and miracles, this has to be a miracle.

"Huh? You owe me? But I didn't- oh, you're talking about the bullet I took for you earlier? That's not really the same though." *Sigh* I almost forgot for a second that she's an idiot... How I managed to do that, I don't know.

"B-bullet!? Sayaka-chan... what are you...?" Sayaka almost jumps back, it's as if she completely forgot 'bout the others... I guess I didn't really notice them either, it was a pretty intense moment. But did she have to mention that in front of this Madoka girl? She looks pretty scared. I honestly don't get how Sayaka can keep up with that... I guess she's pretty nice, but she's weak. She wouldn't last long, regardless of how powerful she could be.

"Ah... Um, it's nothing, just forget it." By the looks of it she's far from convinced...

"Well, should I get us some drinks?" I really don't get what Homura and Sayaka see in her. She'd probably annoy me a lot, at least while talking 'bout all of this. Oh well, time for the main event, I guess. Homura walks towards the bar and gets some bottles and glasses, it looks as if she knew what she was doing. Well, she probably did a lot of strange things during all those timelines. I'd probably have messed around a lot, if I could just start things over...

"Hey, isn't that... a little bit too strong? I mean, vodka, rum and- absinthe!? Are you out of your mind!?" I guess Sayaka knows some things 'bout that stuff too. She just points at a strange bottle with a green liquid inside, I guess that's the absinthe. Looks kinda funny, maybe it's apple flavoured?

"Don't worry about it, there is no 'too strong', only too much. We're not going to empty all of these bottles, are we? Let's just try some out. Kaname-san and Sakura-san have never tried any, isn't that right?" Huh? How'd she know that? Oh, right... time travelling and all that stuff. Still can't really wrap my mind 'round it.

"Well, just for tonight. And don't overdo it, alright?" Madoka's mum... I guess she's looking after her.

"*Sigh* I guess it's fine, though you should both take care. You won't notice how much you've had right away, it takes some time before it starts working." Hm, I guess I'll take some of that absinthe stuff. I give it another look and pour some of it into the small glass Homura put down in front of me. I don't really get why those glasses are so small, but whatever. "Hey! You shouldn't... Well, don't blame me if you wake up with an awful headache!"

"Whatever." I give the liquid a closer inspection and smell it, smells like... disinfectant and anise? I think I should just give it a try. Whoa!? It feels as if it was burning my tongue! Not apple at all! "Are you sure that you're supposed to drink this stuff?"

"Why, yes. As Miki-san suggested, absinthe is very strong. You might want to try something else instead." Tch, if I agreed with her now I'd look like a coward, there's no way I can embarrass myself like that in front of Sayaka. Down with the stuff! It even burns in the throat, but that's not gonna stop me! At least it's making me feel pretty warm... though Sayaka doesn't looks really pleased. Oh well, it's just a small glass, what could possibly go wrong?

"It really smells strong..." Madoka also poured herself a glass, though she doesn't seem to be able to swallow it. Can't blame her, feels like liquid fire in the throat... "But I guess I'll have to at least try to drink it, I put it in there..."

"There's no need for that." Homura just takes the glass out of her hand and drinks it in Madoka's stead. I guess she's 'protecting' Madoka again, though she looks as if she was enjoying that way too much... Sayaka just opened another bottle, sake. That's what my dad used to drink... *Sigh* There's no use thinking 'bout those things, I should just forget all of that stuff already.

"Hey, Sayaka? Can I have some of that?" She gives me a disapproving look, though she does pour some into my glass. Yeah, smells the same as it did back then... Time to show him that I'm stronger. I won't let some stupid liquid make me do things like that. Never. Hm, so this is what it tastes like... I can't see why he'd drink bottle after bottle of this stuff back then. Not to mention that we barely had the money to get enough food back then...

"That's a little bit too bitter for me..." Madoka apparently has some sake in her glass now, Homura takes it again...

"Oh, something sweeter? Well, how about this?" I dunno what's in that bottle Homura has now, but it's got an apple on the cover. Maybe I'll try it later... but for now I'll have some more of the stronger things. Can't look like a wuss, right? It's not as bad as the first glass, though I'll try something else next... Hm, that vodka stuff sounded interesting. Looks just like water, but sure as hell doesn't smell like it.

"You're really going to get drunk, you know? And tomorrow you'll have a hangover and wish you'd die instead of enduring it any longer." Yeah, as if. Some small glasses can't do that, that'd be just silly. Down with the stuff!

...

Nyria: Well, what could possibly go wrong?

Also, the first Witch in this story . We aren't perfectly happy with it, but it's better than nothing, I guess. If you agree with us we'll put more effort into them from now on, so probably longer fights and more detailed descriptions... just tell us what you think. I guess I'll leave the explanation to Daniel, he came up with the name and general motive. If you'd like me to I could also write a one-shot about this Witch, basically what led to her becoming a Witch and all those things.

Daniel: Very well, let me explain. First of all we have a sheet for it, much like the ones for Witches in the anime. Unfortunately we can't display the runes, quite a shame...

...

Runes: Lenore

Type: Helpless Witch

Nature: Self-loathing

The helpless Witch; it is her nature to loath herself. Once a proud warrior, this Witch failed to protect the one thing she loved and gave up on life. Continually hurting herself in hopes for atonement, she doesn't realise the mercy given to her. As her body and mind rot away she feels ever closer to the one she loved. For her crimes against God she shall never reach him.

Runes: Wilhelm

Type: Helpless Witch's servant

Duty: Suitor

Resembling someone she loved a long time ago, he carries out his duties admirable. However, the helpless Witch is caught in her hatred for herself and barely notices him any more. As part of his duty he carries his loved one to the altar to exchange the sacred vow, knowing they never will. "Bist untreu Wilhelm, oder tot?" ("Are you unfaithful, Wilhelm, or dead?") She will never know.

...

The Witch Lenore was based on an eponymous ballad written by the German poet Gottfried August Bürger. There's no English version, so I'll summarise it as best I can.

Lenore lost her fiancé Wilhelm, a soldier, in the Seven Year War. When the other soldiers returned he wasn't with them and no one could tell her what happened to him. She was very depressed and the story gives hints that she mutilated herself as a result (hence her appearance in this story) and curses divine providence. In the very same night her husband visits her, tells her to follow him and takes her to the bridal bed. Once there she realises that he passed away and the bed turns into a coffin, most of the story was just a delusion of her on the brink of death.

...

About her 'realistic' appearance: The appearance of a Witch and her labyrinth reflect her subconscious perception of her surroundings and herself as a Magical Girl, shortly before turning. Therefore some Witches may have a labyrinth and appearance that looks almost real while others are extremely surreal.

Well, so much for an explanation and some details, if you would like to know more or notice errors of any kind you can just write us a pm or something. We will put more of an effort into future Witch encounters, I feel as if this one was missing some things. This is more of a trial, not yet the real thing. We might also review and edit this chapter later on, we know something's missing, we just can't put our finger on it...

Nyria: Exactly. If you'd like me to I could also write a 'prequel' to the Witches in this story. So, like... write a story 'bout what they were like as Magical Girls and how they became Witches. Might be interesting and I'd have something to kill some time with between the chapters. Oh well, that's all for this chapter. I'm also really glad that this story got the most votes so far, so we'll finish this one first~ Though some more votes on the poll wouldn't hurt, otherwise we might have to work on another story instead.


	8. What shall we do with a drunken Kyouko?

**Sayaka's POV**

...

"Kyouko, I really don't think you should-" I try to take the glass out of her hand, but she just jerks it away, spilling some of... whatever that is. She's clearly had more than enough already...

"C'mon, Sayaka, just another glass..." How many does that make it? I stopped counting after the third one, I think that's probably her sixth. Incoming hangover... well, I warned her. When she wakes up with a splitting headache and memory loss I'll remind her again...

"You know, mixing all those drinks is going to make it worse. I'm talking from experience here." I still remember my first time drinking alcohol... dad let me chose from a couple of his bottles and I tried all of them... never again. I guess that's what he had in mind. Same as with smoking, I don't like that either. I guess Kyouko will learn her lesson, too. Maybe it's better this way, at least I can watch out for her. Not that I could stop watching out for her, even if I wanted to...

"I think Sayaka-chan is right... maybe we should stop?" Madoka didn't drink very much, she ended up giving her glass to Akemi-san most of the time... she seemed to enjoy that far too much. Well, it's Madoka's decision, if she wants to be friends with someone like that... besides, I'm not really one to talk. Some friend I am, trying to pull her down with me... "And you shouldn't look that gloomy, Sayaka-chan! We're celebrating, remember?"

"Well, maybe we should play some games, to... lighten the atmosphere." I turn my head to look at Akemi-san, she looks as if she was up to something... well, it's just a game, so it shouldn't be too bad. Probably some drinking games, just what have I gotten myself into?

"Y-yeah, Homuhomu's right... some games sounds good. I won't lose!" Kyouko looks really unfocused, I guess she's starting to feel the effects. And Homuhomu? *Sigh* She definitely had one too many. Or some more. We really shouldn't continue, but somehow it feels as if we couldn't stop... I guess Kyouko doesn't want to 'lose' to me, so she's trying to show off. I didn't drink very much, but she seems to see it as a competition or something.

"What did you have in mind?" I take another sip of my glass, Kyouko just downs hers... *Sigh* I just hope we won't encounter another Witch anytime soon, Kyouko's in no condition to fight. Just how am I going to get her home in the first place? I just hope she'll be able to walk back home, I'm not carrying her!

"Well, some fun little games. Maybe 'spin the bottle', or some card games?" This is just getting worse by the second. What's next, a drinking contest? Well, Kyouko seems to be taking part in one already, though she's the only participant... Madoka looks pretty red, Homura seems to be the only one who's still sober. Well, I'm still sober as well, of course. But Kyouko more than makes up for that...

"Um, alright, if you want to... but we don't have any cards, right? Or do you have any, Homura-chan?" She seems to be way too enthusiastic about this, I've never seen Akemi-san like that... or maybe it's just me.

"Well, we can just take a bottle and spin in, right? The one who was last chosen will give an order or ask a question, then we spin it and the ones chosen will have to carry out the order or answer the question. Or take a shot, that's how it goes." Truth or dare with alcohol... This could get out of hand quickly. I mean, I'm not worrying about Madoka, but Kyouko and Akemi-san? Who knows what they'll come up with... and leaving it all to luck? Who knows what orders they're going to give...

"I don't think that's such a good idea. Kyouko already had-"

"Let's go, spin that bottle!" *Sigh* This is going to be a real headache. If the orders get too bad I can just drink, but I can only take so many drinks before I'll get drunk myself... Kyouko's pretty much done for as it is, I'll give her another hour, at most. She just takes the bottle and spins, it stops on... Madoka.

"Alright, Madoka, you're the first one to give an order." Well, it's Madoka, so it should be alright.

"The first one will... give the second one a piggyback ride!" Alright, that's not too bad. I'm just a little bit worried about Kyouku and Akemi-san. Mostly her, though I have no idea what Kyouko might order, at this point... Madoka spins the bottle once, that's... me! *Sigh* Well, better now than later on, right? I'm fine with it if it isn't Akemi-san. I've done that with Madoka before and Kyouko... well, we're friends now, I guess.

I'm not really enthusiastic about this... the orders usually get worse with each round, at least I think that's how it goes. If it starts out like this... I should just stop worrying about it. If things get too bad I'll just take a shot. If it gets too bad we could just stop either way, Madoka would probably agree on that. Kyouko... of course it'd be her, right? *Sigh* "Hm, let's just do this."

"Yeah, let's do it!" Did she refill her glass again? I think she's sounding way too happy.

"Maybe you should put the glass down? It wouldn't be good if you spilled it all over me..." She already seems to be a little bit wobbly on her legs...

"Don't be such a worry-ward! You heard the order, so get down~" She's really getting into this, isn't she? *Sigh* I guess I don't really have a choice... I get to my knees and let her put one leg over my neck. This is really embarrassing... but that's the only way, I wouldn't be able to lift her otherwise. I put my hands on her thighs and... up! She's not as heavy as I thought, I guess that's something. At least I won't have to worry about back problems... "Woohoo!"

"Well, you girls seem to be having fun..." Junko looks pretty amused, though I'm not... At least Kyouko's wearing jeans, if it was her usual shorts I'd rather take a glass.

"Alright, gallop! Gallop, my faithful steed, into battle we ride!" If there was anyone else around I'd just drop her for that. But I guess I can run around a little bit. "C'mon, gee up!" She's actually kicking me lightly, what does she think she's doing!? *Sigh* Stupid games... If anyone takes pictures of this I'll destroy their phone. Though it doesn't look that way, at least something to be relieved about. Madoka seems to enjoy it, Akemi-san also seems to be amused...

"You really are impossible, you know that...?" If it wasn't for the alcohol I'd throw her off my back right now. But I guess there's no helping it... I just run around a little bit faster. I feel as if I was making a complete fool out of myself. Akemi-san's face seems to support that theory... "Hey, that should be enough already!" Kyouko sounds a little bit disappointed, she was probably getting a kick out of that...

"*Sigh* Alright, just... just let me down..." She seems to be having even more trouble standing after all that movement. Well, she had it coming. That's what she gets for drinking that much. Maybe we should stop here... though the atmosphere seems to be against that. I guess I'll just wait a little longer. I don't want to be the one to spoil the party. Then again, I probably shouldn't wait for the others to do it either... "That was great!"

"Well then, Sakura-san... you can give the next order, or ask a question. What should it be?" Why did it have to be Kyouko...? I don't think she's sober enough to make a reasonable decision. Who knows what she'll come up with... I give her a glance, to make sure she knows she'll be in trouble if it's too bad.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it... How about... Did you ever... kiss someone before?" That's a weird question, even for her. Though it could be worse, I guess. Kyouko spins the bottle and- me again!? *Sigh* Just my luck... she spins the bottle again, this time it's Madoka.

"Um, not... not really... I kissed Madoka on the cheek some years ago, does that count?" I don't think so, I was saving my first kiss for Kyousuke-kun... but I guess that was a vain hope. He doesn't even care for me, and I know it... though Akemi-san gives me a dirty look.

"T-that's... I guess it's the same for me, only that kiss on the cheek by Sayaka-chan..." I'd have been surprised if she had kissed someone, she'd probably have told me already. We're best friends, after all. And I don't remember Madoka ever mentioning a boy she liked. "Alright, next is... The first one will have to carry the second one, princess style!" Madoka always liked that, for some reason. Though she got a little bit too heavy for me to carry her much.

"Very well then, spin the bottle." Maybe I could do it again now, I didn't try it since becoming a Magical Girl. The bottle points towards... Madoka. Well, I guess she got lucky, in that case. The second one... Akemi-san. "Well, if you'd let me..." They both stand up and... Somehow this doesn't look right... Akemi-san seems to be into it, even more so than Madoka.

"Um, Homura-chan? This is a little bit... embarrassing, in front of everyone..." Not much more embarrassing than carrying Kyouko and playing horse. I still can't believe I actually did it... Must've been the alcohol or something. Madoka is starting to look pretty red there, though Junko doesn't seem to mind. Well, it's all just a game, right? Something to distract myself with, nothing more. At least that goes for Madoka and myself...

"Well, such are the rules..." I don't think what she's doing has anything to do with the rules... but if Madoka doesn't mind, who am I to tell her to stop? If she was feeling uncomfortable I'd step right in, but Madoka seems to be fine with it... "Besides, last time you didn't complain, did you?" Huh? Last- they did that before!?

"D-don't say that, not in front of everyone! I mean..." She mumbles some other things I can't understand, just what are they up to? Did I miss something...? They certainly got closer while I was... not paying attention. Maybe that's a good thing? Akemi-san always seemed to be a little bit... lonely. Maybe aloof, but not by choice. I still don't like her and I won't lie about that, but that doesn't mean I hate her. If they get along that's a good thing, right?

"I suppose I have to give an order now, don't I?" She finally lets Madoka down and they take their seats again. "Now then, what to do, what to do? How about... a hug?" Well, I guess that's... not too bad. But why is Kyouko always exchanging glances with her? I can't help feeling that it's a little bit suspicious. And that ability of hers... is she manipulating the game!? Now that I think about it... she can stop time for anyone who doesn't touch her, right?

I move my hand closer to her and take some of her hair into it. If it works that way I shouldn't be frozen, even if she stops time. She doesn't seem to notice and takes the bottle to spin it, I move my hand as well... the bottle is close to stopping. Kyouko is getting herself yet another glass. She raises it above her head, tilts it and the content- stops in midair!? "So, you were manipulating the game, weren't you?" Akemi-san is startled and jumps back, almost knocking over the table...

"U-um, I... I... you got it all..." She can say whatever she wants to, I'm not stupid enough for that. The proof, her shield, is right there, firmly attached to her hand. She seems to realise that as well... "*Sigh* Very well, you got me. Are you happy now? Or do you want to ruin the evening first? Ruining things seems to be just about the only thing you're good at..." And what's that supposed to mean?

"How am I ruining anything? Did I try to manipulate the game? Wait, this is about something else, isn't it? Did I tell you or Madoka to make a contract with Kyubey? Am I going to summon Walpurgisnacht to destroy the city!?" She's just being unreasonable, none of this is my fault! I didn't want any of this, if I had known...

"Every single time you enter a contract you become a Witch and take at least one of the others with you! And this time... it's probably going to be the same, you'll definitely take Kyouko with you. The only question is 'When?'. You always sow mistrust in the group, you always get between me and-!" She's... crying? I don't... I didn't... Am I really that bad? Is she right, after all? Maybe it would be better if I just... died. But... I can't just give up! Not this time...

"Listen... I'm sorry if I did any of those things, alright? I didn't know anything about all of this... and you can bet that I'm not keen on turning into a Witch. It's really painful and terrible, you know? And this time is different! I'm not going to let despair get the better of me, alright? I promise. All those other times... I was alone, you know?" Somehow it's strange, talking about such things all of a sudden. While time is frozen, no less...

"You? Alone? Don't make me laugh... You had Madoka, she was always there for you! If you became a Witch, she'd wish you back to normal... if you died she wished you back... and Kyouko? She was always there for you!" That's... all of that is probably true...

"I know... and I'm sorry, for all of that. But I didn't realise any of it, I just couldn't see it... Do you know how that feels? Being about to turn into a Witch?"

"I don't... really know. I always made sure to use Grief Seeds after learning that by watching you... so that my Soul Gem never gets tainted. I just know... how it feels to lose someone important to you, over and over again. Always having to watch, without being able to do anything..." I think she's closer to it than she'd like to admit herself. To be honest, I have no idea how she can keep going at all. Even though I don't like to admit it... she's strong, a lot stronger than me.

"For me it was like... I guess drowning is the closest. I felt as if I were really deep in the sea and couldn't get up to breath. I could see Madoka and Kyouko at the surface... but I couldn't reach, I couldn't get there. I was too focused on Kyousuke-kun and Hitomi... and it was dragging me down, even deeper. I just wanted it to be over with. So I went... and tried to get myself killed. Around the end... I just didn't care any longer." I was actually... looking for death, at that time. It feels so surreal now...

"You know... maybe we aren't so different, after all. If I didn't have Madoka... I'd probably be the same as you. If there was nothing I could protect, if I didn't always have the hope of 'next time'... I'd probably have killed myself. I guess it's the same for all of us... Kyouko was the same, after losing you. If she survived, that is. She just gave up and turned into a Witch, at least most of the times..." Was I... that important to her? I don't understand it, I was behaving like a total bitch, all that time when I was with her... I was always bad towards her, and yet...

"I'm sorry... but this time, this time there is something I want to protect. Or rather someone." I look at Kyouko, she's still frozen over there. She looks a bit silly right now, but... that smile of hers, goofy as it may be; I want to protect it. I can't let myself become a Witch. I don't know why Kyouko got close to me, but I can't let her down! Not after all that has happened to her. If she'd lose yet another person important to her... Akemi-san is probably right about that.

"I see... You'd better remember that, alright? If you're ever close to becoming a Witch again... I won't hesitate. I can't consider what will happen to Kyouko, with things the way they are now... I have to protect Madoka, at any cost." *Sigh* I guess we really are the same... Had she posed a threat to Kyousuke-kun... I'd probably have killed her as well. If she's willing to do all this for Madoka... I guess that's something between Madoka and her, it's none of my business.

"This time I won't. I can't. I have to think of Kyouko, right? I mean, she needs someone to take care of her, she just gets in trouble if I don't look after her, right?" I say that, but in truth... I'm the one who needs someone by her side. I guess I can't be a hero, after all. I'm always relying on others to do something for me, too scared to take action myself... it was just the same with Hitomi, I can't take the initiative.

"Actually it's always the other way around..." Now Akemi-san smiles and wipes the last of her tears away.

"One last thing... could I ask you for a favour?" She just raises an eyebrow and motions for me to continue. "If you have to reset this timeline, for some reason... could you try to look after Kyouko? I'd rather not become a Witch and die myself, but... I'd rather have you protect Kyouko." I feel kinda bad for any possible future selves... that just sounds weird. But I'd rather protect Kyouko than myself.

"I could try it, I suppose. Though you know how she is... Anyways, I can't keep time stopped any longer. We should focus on the game instead. I won't cheat any more, but you'll have to take responsibility for any results, alright?" Um... take responsibility? I guess I'll have to live with the consequences. Well, I'm fine with that. The shield on Homura's hand vanishes and the alcohol finally resumes its way towards Kyouko's mouth...

"Sayaka-chan, you're the first one!" I guess it's all about luck now, huh? I never had much of that... Akemi-san spins the bottle again, this time it's... her. Just my luck, this time for real... Well, I was the one to stop her from manipulating the game, so that's what I get.

"*Sigh* Alright, let's get this over with, Akemi-san..." Both of us stand up and look at each other, this is really awkward... Kyouko looks a little bit angry as well, she just gets herself another glass. That's not going to end well for her...

"Sayaka-chan! Stop calling Homura-chan like that. And you too, Homura-chan! I want the both of you to be friends as well, alright? So please, stop fighting all of the time..." I... guess that's fine with me. Maybe we should make up, just like we did when time was still stopped...

"Alright, sorry. Come here, Homura." I open my arms and put them around her, though she doesn't seem to be very happy. Well, I'd be lying if I said I wanted this to happen, but... Madoka is probably right. We're going to be comrades, from now on. So we should get along, We'll have to trust each other, at least when we're fighting as a team. She starts to hug me back and puts her mouth next to my ear.

"See? This is exactly why I wanted to manipulate the game in the first place..." *Giggle* I guess I can see her point.

"Well, if that's the case you shouldn't have suggested this game. Besides, isn't it better this way? If things didn't go the way they did we'd still be enemies, right?" Of course we wouldn't just attack each other, but... I feel as if that air of hostility between us dissipated, at least a little bit. I hope it's going to stay like this...

"You almost sound like Madoka when you say that, you know? But I guess you're right... just don't think we're friends all of a sudden. I don't hate you, but I don't really like you either. Sorry, but after seeing you all of those times..." I guess I can understand that. If our roles were reversed I'd probably hate her. If she ended up killing Kyousuke-kun, Madoka and Kyouko all of the time... I'd definitely hate her. I couldn't blame her for hating me...

"I know, let's just pretend... for Madoka, right? We don't have to be friends, though I wouldn't mind that either. But it's way too early to call each other friends, especially after all you've been through. Let's just get along, for the time being." I think... I used to hate her. I didn't understand her at all. Her behaviour was just cold-hearted and evil, in my eyes. I didn't understand a thing, so I leashed out at her when she told me certain things... I'm still not happy about the things she said about Mami-san, but at least I can understand her a little bit now, maybe even relate to her.

"Well, I guess that settles it. Could you let go of me now?" I guess that was long enough. I let go of her and both of us take a seat again. "Well then, next is... a kiss!" A... kiss!? But I can't, that would be my... Well, what are the chances that the bottles would point towards me again?

"Wow, Sayaka, it's you again!" W-wha-!? No way, no way...

"*Sigh*" Homura seems to be a little bit disappointed, she leans over... "I was going to stake everything on one card now, but I guess it wasn't meant to be... And you're in trouble now, right? It'd be your first kiss, after all. Wouldn't it?" How does she even know that!? Maybe Madoka told her... Homura spins the bottle again, this time it's... Kyouko! "Well, isn't that a coincidence? I didn't manipulate this one, I'd have taken it for myself... Though you could still take a drink instead, right?"

"Oh, that's right, now I remember! Thank you, Homura!" I totally forgot about that part of the rules because of our talk and all that... "I'll ju- mpf!" What...? Kyouko? She's... She's kissing me! How did she move so fast!? That was my... no way...

"Well, that escalated quickly. But you're happy now, aren't you? Right, Sayaka-chan?" Homura... she's really enjoying this, isn't she!? As if to say 'I told you'...

"Oh my, things are getting a little bit out of hand over there..." Saotome-sensei... save me!

"Not at all. I still remember when we were young and doing that for the first time, Kazuko~" Doing... too much information. Or maybe she's just talking about drinking games? While I'd like to imagine it was the first Saotome-sensei's expression suggests the latter...

"MMH! M-mh!" I finally manage to push Kyouko away, it leaves a taste that's both sour and bitter... what's gotten into her all of a sudden!? "What was that all about!?" No, wait, this doesn't count, this doesn't count... I'll just have to forget anything like this ever happened. That's right, nothing happened tonight, I was never here...

"Oh, shaddup, Sayaka! Ya know, I... I la-... la-... love ya!" *Sigh* She's completely out of it... and she gets herself yet another glass!

"Kyouko, stop that right now! You've had more than enough to drink! You just don't know how to control yourself, do you?" *Sigh* Why am I even asking? She's obviously not listening... "Sorry, I- I think we should leave..." Kyouko really shouldn't drink any more, I don't want her to end up in hospital with an alcohol intoxication. That would be bad, for all of us. Madoka's mum and Saotome-sensei would get into some real trouble as well...

"Well, I think that would be a wise idea... anyways, Madoka, would you like to keep playing?" Those two... well, it's their business. Madoka's mother is still there, she'll keep Homura at bay... probably. At least Saotome-sensei should. Though I'm starting to worry about Kyouko, she didn't even eat any pocky for a while. She always eats something, so she's probably not feeling too good...

"Oh, you're leaving already, Sayaka? Well, I guess we should join the game. Don't you agree, Ka-zu-ko-chan~?" Seriously, Madoka's mum can creep me out, sometimes... Well, I guess she's just teasing Saotome-sensei, the same way I like to tease Madoka or Hitomi.

"Maybe... but will you two be alright, all on your own? Or do you need a ride home?" Um... I don't think either of them is in any condition to drive a car. Besides, Kyouko should still be able to walk, right?

"Hey, Kyouko. Come on, we're leaving." She's looking at the bottle again, as if she wanted yet another glass... but I can't let her have that. I just stand up and take her hand. She doesn't offer much resistance, but she seems to have some problems standing...

"Huh? We're goin'? Jusht another glash..." She's really had it... I wish she could see herself right now. She looks as if she was about to fall asleep any second now. She's also a pretty wobbly now, I don't think she could walk on her own...

"No, that was enough... Come on, there were some games you still wanted to play, right? Thank you for this evening, goodbye." Her eyes light up, I think she took the bait. Well, I guess I could let her play some games, though I don't think she'd get anywhere. We're probably lucky if we even get home like this... well, when push comes to shove I can just try to carry her. It shouldn't be too difficult, she isn't that heavy. Though it's pretty far...

"Oh, so she's staying at your place. You're pretty close friends, aren't you? Why didn't you ever introduce her to us?" Um, that's...

"Before I was fightin' Wit-" Did she turn stupid!? I cover her mouth as fast as I can...

"What she wanted to say is that we used to fight a lot before. It hasn't been long since we were at each other's throats all of the time." It's not even a lie, so it's alright. It's not the whole truth either, but I can't really tell them the truth...

"Why, yes, until just a week ago they didn't really get along. I could tell you the story, if you'd like. I think Kyouko should rather get home, she doesn't look too good..." I silently thank Homura for helping me out and pull Kyouko along. She's staggering considerably, I should probably not let her walk on her own...

"Come, I'll carry you." I put her arm over my shoulder and pretty much drag her along, she's just groaning and mumbling things as she does her best to walk. At least she didn't drink too much of the strong alcohol, but there were all kinds of sweet drinks and she probably tried all of them... that'll be one hell of a morning for her. "Hey, are you alright? If you need a moment you just need to say so." I'm a little bit worried about her...

"Uh, yesh... noshing'sh wong. All'sh good..." *Sigh* Is she for real? She barely manages to spell one word right... 'Whatever.', that's what she said when I warned her... I'm really going to enjoy asking her again tomorrow, that's what she gets for not listening. Stupid Kyouko... stupid Kyouko! "Hey! I'm not... shtupid!" Huh? Did I... no, I'm pretty sure I didn't say that... that has to mean...

"I didn't say anything, you must be hearing things." She just grumbles something, though I can't understand it. "Hey, Kyubey?" I haven't seen him in a while... but I can already see his white fur, as if he was just waiting for me to call him so that he could jump out...

"Yes, you called? What is it?" As if you didn't know what I'm talking about...

"Why did you relay that to Kyouko just now? I didn't ask you for that." Kyouko doesn't seem to respond any more, she's barely even walking. *Sigh* I guess there's no helping it... I change into my gear, put her arms over my shoulder and her legs under my arms. I think I can carry her like this. At least I won't have to worry about someone seeing us. That would be embarrassing and I don't want to get into trouble with the police for drinking at my age or jumping across rooftops... Kyubey just jumps onto my shoulder.

"What are you talking about, Miki Sayaka? I didn't relay any messages for you, not in a while. I wasn't even here until you called me." Huh? Wait, what?

"Come again?"

"As I said, I didn't let you use telepathy. Why would I do that if you didn't ask me to?" But...

"Why else would Kyouko hear something I never even said?" I really don't get it...

"Oh, so that's it. If I were to venture a guess... it's related to your current condition. I assume that you don't need me to communicate with each other any more. Don't worry, you'll probably learn how to avoid using it subconsciously. Or maybe not, I can't tell." No way! Now she can even read my thoughts!? That's just...

"Come on, do something about this! There has to be something you can do, right?!" I can't just let Kyouko hear what I think! I need some time on my own as well. Having her around all of the time is one thing, but this... I wouldn't have any privacy left whatsoever!

"Calm down, it isn't my fault that you like this to begin with." I guess he's right... it's not really anyone's fault, now that I think about it. Both of us didn't know what we were doing. Or rather, it's my fault, for being such an idiot... "There is nothing I could do. It's probably related to your Soul Gem. You remember the violet line, right? That's where your souls overlap. If it was just two separate Soul Gems I could isolate them, but that's not possible with yours. You'd have to separate them first and that would most likely kill either or both of you." There has to be something we can do. I mean, I can't share all of my thoughts with Kyouko! Especially not those about Kyousuke-kun...

"You have to do something! We can't just go on like this..." Kyouko wouldn't want me to hear her thoughts either, I'm pretty sure of that. And I probably don't want to hear hers either...

"As I said, there is nothing I can do. Don't worry about it, sooner or later you'll probably be the same person either way." ... ... what?

"You're saying... NO! NO WAY! This has to stop! Do something about it!" I don't mind living with Kyouko, but that's going way too far! I can't just accept that, I like being me! I can't just give up on my own self, that's impossible. Kyouko would think the same thing, I'm sure of that. Probably even more so than I...

"I already said that I can't do anything about it. The closer you get the more your fusion will progress. At some point you will probably cease thinking about her and she will stop thinking about you. I think that very concept will vanish between the two of you, sooner or later. You will become a single being, in your soul. Maybe you'll have to decide on a single body as well? I can't quite tell..."

"Don't even talk about things like that! That's not going to happen!" Fifty metres is one thing, alright... but this!? There's no way this will happen!

"You're being unreasonable... why would you mind that? You'd stop fighting, you'd stop arguing, you probably won't even notice it. Isn't that a very desirable outcome? Besides, your power will probably exceed anything you could imagine. I don't understand you at all..." That... thing! When he's talking like this it really makes me want to choke him...

"There's that little thing called individuality, you know!? Us humans value that! What would there be left of us without that?" How could any human being give up their self? That can't be possible, not at all...

"Individuality is one of the greatest problems humanity has. Wars are caused by conflicts between individuals, crimes are caused by it as well. Why would you value something like that? We don't have any crimes or wars at home, we're all peaceful. Besides, I'm not saying you're going to lose your individuality. You will simply become a new individual and cease being the old ones." ... It sounds so wrong, but he's not entirely wrong.

"I guess you're right about some things, concerning individuality... but aren't you forgetting about all the good things? In your world, what is there? What for do you exist? Does your life have any meaning whatsoever? Love, friendship, family... you don't know anything about those things, do you?" I don't understand this creature... What is he to begin with? I don't know... all I know is that we can never understand one another, if he's really like that.

"Meaning... what meaning does your life have? None whatsoever. There is no meaning, you simply exist. Searching for a meaning is a very human thing, I suppose. It was the same for our distant ancestors. They nearly eradicated our entire solar system because of that 'individuality' you praise so much. Love and friendship... Those are just lies, aren't they? You love or befriend some image of a person that doesn't even reflect reality." That thing...

"Liar! How could you say that if you don't even know what emotions are like!? Our life has meaning, it's the meaning we give it!" That's right, he's just a liar...

"Your anger only proves my point, doesn't it? You wouldn't be so angry if it was just a baseless accusation. We don't experience emotion, that is true. However, we observe it. Saying something has meaning doesn't give it a deeper meaning, it stays the same. Just take a look at your 'love' for Kamijou Kyousuke. Do you truly love him, in spite of not even knowing him? You just fell in love with your image of him." That's... it does ring true, I guess. Maybe Kyubey is right... to some extend.

"Well, maybe you're right about that. Maybe you're right about him and me... but what about Kyouko? She didn't create herself some image of me, did she? She still saved me, even after seeing me for who I am..." I didn't even realise it before, but that's so much... Kyouko was really there for me, all of this time. Even at my worst, and she wasn't going to abandon me if the worst had happened. I must have been a complete idiot to not see this before...

"That might be true, it was something else, in her case. But she still did it for her own sake. Humans aren't capable of selfless acts, they only act to satisfy their own needs. Whether those are instincts or feelings, they don't do anything if it doesn't satisfy them. What she did for you was ju-" I let go of Kyouko's right leg, summon a sword and point it at him. I need to be careful, I can't just let Kyouko fall...

"Enough of this. Don't you dare talking about the things she did that way! I won't let you badmouth Kyouko's sacrifice and all the things she did for me. You call that selfish? You really don't understand anything about us. In fact, I pity you. You live, but you don't even realise it. What a bleak world you must live in. You can witness love, friendship and all those things, but you just can't see the beauty of it." I send my sword away again and put my hand around Kyouko's leg again.

"You're being unreasonable again... besides, doesn't that mean our life is better than yours? We never get to experience sadness, hatred or despair. We don't waste time mourning our lost love, we don't waste time fighting with each other and we don't hurt one another. You were so close to succumbing to despair, wouldn't you agree that you would have been better off without all of it?" He is right, that was a horrible feeling. But...

"It felt horrible, I won't deny that. It was the worst I ever felt. But now I feel better than ever. That despair... if my current life is the compensation for that it was worth it, every moment of it. I'd rather feel bad sometimes than never feel at all. Besides, we grow from our conflicts with others. I learned so many new things by fighting and arguing with Kyouko or even you... but did you learn anything from any of your conversations with humans?"

"Humans are simply too unreasonable to learn anything from them. We only learn from your mistakes. Emotions lead to the greatest atrocities humans have ever committed, right?" That's not exactly a lie, but...

"With that mindset you'll never learn anything, Kyubey. You don't even listen to our arguments, you just shoot them down before we're even done. If you go into a discussion and already have your mind set on something, why even bother?" I'm probably making a fool out of myself here, but it's worth a try...

"Aren't you the one who already made her mind up before talking to me?" Hm... I think I'm being fairly reasonable here.

"Say, didn't you say your ancestors had emotions? How did you lose that?" It's strange, the thought that a species could just... lose emotion. That doesn't make any sense to me...

"We don't know. We think it's a natural development that comes with the advance of technology. We simply ceased interacting with each other for anything other than mating. As our knowledge of technology advanced even further we had no need for that either, we just use machines for that purpose now. Emotions weaken a species, so it's a trait that doesn't survive natural selection." He really does believe that, doesn't he?

"Then what about the maternal instincts of animals, aren't those comparable to emotions as well? Or the emotions a pet feels for its owner? Nature is full of emotion." That should be a good point, in my opinion. I definitely won't lose to Kyubey!

"Well, those species are hardly developed. We used to be pretty similar to humans, some millennia ago. As we developed we lost those traits and your society show similar developments." That's a scary thought, that we're headed towards becoming a new kind of Kyubeys... "But you might have a point. Maybe we could learn more from you humans. There are some rare exceptions within our species as well, ones born with emotions."

"There are? Why didn't you send one of them to us instead?" That would've probably been a lot better for all of us. Maybe there is still hope for Kyubey and his kind. It would just be sad if none of them felt emotions.

"We rather keep them in mental institutions to treat their impairment." Um... did he just say 'mental institutions'?

"Oh... oh. Alright, you... do that. I'll be on my way." That was a waste of time... go figure, it's Kyubey we're talking about here. What did I even expect? *Sigh*

"I really don't get you humans..." With that he vanishes the same way he appeared. To think that I thought of him as cute once... it sends cold shivers up and down my spine. At least Kyouko is pretty warm, I guess that's something. It's really cold, it feels as if the air was freezing now... something's definitely been off, lately. I didn't notice that before, but now...

"What do you think, Kyouko? Isn't it strange?" She just groans, I probably shouldn't even have bothered asking her. Did I actually think I'd get an answer out of her? "IYAAA! W-what do you think you're doing!?" She's grabbing my breasts! H-how dare she... I almost fell off the edge of the other roof!

"Mmmhh... Jusht... um, holding on. You're shakesing so mush... wa's wrong?"

"Get your hands off there! Right now!" She just grumbles something incomprehensible, if she wasn't drunk right now... I let go of her leg again to remove them... After a bit of a struggle she finally lets her arms slump to my sides. *Sigh* You really are a piece of work, you know that, Kyouko? I should just hurry home. It should be... in that direction, I think. It's a little bit weird, looking from so high above and the cloudy sky doesn't help either...

"Uuugh... don't ya move 'round... so much..." What is it now? She's just making some more weird sounds. It isn't much further, so I'll just hurry home. "Lemme down, right... now! I ain't feelin'... I mean..." Huh? What's wrong with her? I stop, putting her down carefully. She's... she's throwing up! I told her... at least it's not in my bed, I guess that's something. Kyouko really looks terrible now, but that's only the beginning...

"Just wait until you wake up tomorrow... Just don't complain to me, alright? You dug that hole for yourself." I put a hand on her back and pat it, she just continues... how much did she drink!? I shouldn't have let her drink this much... I mean, I wanted her to see she was wrong, but this... if she didn't throw up that would be really dangerous. I guess she got lucky, or her body just knows better than its owner.

"I feel... great now... like I could flyyy..." She's rather stumbling than walking, so I put her arm over my shoulder again. I wouldn't want her to fall off, she could get hurt for real. Had we ran into that Witch now we'd stand no chance. I'm definitely not going to do something like this again, it was really irresponsible. She smells like a burning distillery... I should take Kyouko home soon, she should probably rest now.

...

**Kyouko's POV**

...

Uhhh... my head... I don't think I've ever felt this terrible... Just wha- "AAARGH!" I feel as if my head could explode any second... and drained? Maybe dried up... hungry, thirsty... but most of all painful. Yup, definitely painful...

"Oh, you finally woke up. Took you long enough, huh?" That's... Sayaka. We were out last night, drinking all that... Guh... Sayaka gently rubs my back... but that's no real help for the headache. "There, there. It'll be alright. While you were busy groaning and talking nonsense I prepared breakfast. Here you go." She takes a tray from the bedside table and puts it down on my lap. It looks really great... just wish I could appreciate it a little more...

"Thanks..." Steamed rice, miso soup, tamagoyaki and nori... Having a family sure has its perks, huh? Breakfast in bed... dad never allowed that unless we were ill, something 'bout prayer and family time. But I could get used to this! Minus the headache...

"I got you some painkillers as well, they should help." I take the pill she gives me and down it with water... I just hope they're gonna work fast...

"It ain't too bad." Hurts like hell... but I shouldn't worry Sayaka. Besides, she'd just tell me how it's my fault and all that if I complained. It kinda is, in a way... but I don't need her rubbing it in, especially not right now. My head...

"You sure look fine..." Now she's laughing... oh well. I just join in and we're both laughing, though that kinda hurts, too... I guess I should just dig in. Should've eaten more pocky yesterday, I feel like I'm starving... I just put some rice into the miso soup and get started. "Looks like you learned table manners from a cat..."

"Pfft, table manners... who gives a damn? If you only get something on the table when you're lucky ya won't bother to think 'bout how you eat it." Now she looks kinda depressed... I guess she forgot 'bout that for a second. "Look, it's alright, ya didn't try to be mean or anything. Besides, I wouldn't care 'bout table manners either way. I mean, who gives a damn?" Whoever made that stuff up had way too much time...

"Well, mum basically snapped whenever I did 'improper' things. But she doesn't come here very often, so it's alright. She always told me how I should behave more like Hitomi and all things like that..." Ouch, that probably hurts... Hitomi was that green-haired bitch, wasn't she? Her mum telling her she should be more like that... probably even worse now. Whatever, I'll make her forget all 'bout that, I'll make her happy.

"Well, it probably wasn't that bad, right?" Though it was very annoying, I guess..

"Um, I guess it was pretty bad... but let's just forget about it, alright?" Huh? Sayaka looks pretty dejected, she lets her hair cover her eyes and just looks to the side.

"What's wrong? C'mon, you can tell me." I barely even notice my headache any more, probably the painkiller kicking in.

"Well, she... she used to hit me, when I was still a child and didn't behave right. Not too badly, just a slap in the face... but I still hated it." Wait, she did what!?

"You for real?" I guess the look on Sayaka's face is more than enough proof...

"Yeah... but she only meant well. At least that's what dad says, he made her stop when he found out. She still did it when he was away, but at least I could tell him." That's... I didn't expect something like that... I mean, I always assumed Sayaka had it easy. I didn't... I guess it ain't that easy, huh? 'I had it bad, everyone else is happy with food on the table and a nice family'... that's what I used to think. It felt so unfair...

"If she ever tries that again... hit her back. Or, so help me God, I will!" Even my dad never hit me. It went against his beliefs... then again, he's not really some paragon, considering what he did later on...

"Um, there's no need for-" I just take her hand.

"Listen, I don't care if it's your mum, your dad, your friend, your teacher or just some random asshole. I won't let anyone hit you from now on. And if they still do... I'll hit them back hard. Three times as hard, if not harder." Sayaka did so much for me... she gave me a home, she took me in. It was her that helped me escape my past. Not entirely, but I don't feel as if I was just running away any more...

"Thanks, I guess... though you don't have to. I can take care of myself." *Sigh* As if, she's probably way too nice for that...

"You could take care of yourself, I don't doubt that. But would ya? Not that it matters, you don't have to. I'm going to take care of that, from now on. Think of it as... my rent. I'll help you with the Witches and whatever else there might be, you let me stay here. Does that sound good to you?" She just nods, I let go of her hand and finally get back to breakfast. It's really delicious~ "Man, I never thought you'd be good at cooking, but this is great!"

"Well, thanks... but what makes you think I'd be bad at cooking? I'm not as good as Hitomi, but I can definitely hold my own!" Heh... she looks so cute when she looks determined~

"Mh, I don't really know... doesn't suit your character, I guess. I just never thought you'd be any good at it." She doesn't really look like she'd spend a lot of time in the kitchen...

"Well, I had to take care of the cooking. Dad's always away on business trips and mum... well, she's barely ever here. I also... I guess I also practised a little bit, for Kyousuke-kun... It started around the same time. I guess I got into it, I was hoping it would increase my chances with him." That actually sounds kinda calculating...

"Just for how long were you... in love with him?" Seriously, with that wimp? I guess love really is blind...

"Hm, I always liked him, we've been friends for years. Probably after I saw his first performance... it was just so great, I couldn't help loving it! It was absolutely thrilling! Didn't you ever feel like that?" Mh... I didn't really have much contact with anyone after... **that** happened. Not even before it, the other kids always avoided me 'cause of my dad's teachings... And her description ain't much help either.

"Sayaka, you're pretty much the first friend I ever had. I never really got along with anyone, I just... I don't know. And what are you talking 'bout? I don't think I ever felt like that..." Maybe it's just her? I wouldn't really know...

"Are you for real? You're saying you never... fell in love with anyone!?" She looks completely dumbfounded... "Um, let's see... maybe you've been feeling... anxious around someone, when you tried talking to them? Or you really admired them or what they did? They look really beautiful to you? I don't know how to describe it..." Feeling anxious? Admiring them?

"I don't think there-" Wait a second. Back when we still weren't friends... didn't I always feel really anxious when I tried talking to... Sayaka!? And when I fought her and she just wouldn't back down, no matter what... I think I admired her, for that. Or how she always stayed true to her ideals, or at least tried to. That was definitely admiration and acknowledgement... nah, that's probably not what she's talking 'bout, right?

"Oh, did you remember something? Come on, do tell me~" Now she's all over me, great... There's no way I'll tell her that. Those were just some silly thoughts, right? But I guess she does looks pretty...

"U-um... no, not really. I wasn't thinking of anyone, not at all!" I can't tell her, maybe she'd hate me... 'sides, I don't really know for myself, so how could I tell her?

"No need to be shy~ You can just tell me, right? That's just fair, you know who I loved as well." Those are two completely different things!

"You didn't really try to hide it, you know!? Seriously, that guy had to be blind for not noticing. And I don't really know, so I'm not gonna say it."

"*Sigh* Be that way... I'll leave it alone, for now. But I definitely want you to tell me later, alright? We're friends, after all." Yeah, just friends... that's all she sees in me. Not even her best friend, I'm just her friend... Well, that's more than what I could ask for, right? If things had gone a little bit different back then we'd both be dead or Witches now. Though it kinda stings... maybe I'm just getting a little greedy. Friends should be good, right?

"Yeah, I'll be any way I wanna be, like it or not!" I don't think I'm really in love with Sayaka, that would be pretty strange. I wouldn't really mind, but Sayaka... maybe she'd get mad and we'd end up fighting. That'd be bad, really bad... we'll have to get along if we want to survive. And if she wasn't really against it she'd probably just tease me even more...

"You don't have to remind me, you're pretty stubborn... though nowhere close to how stubborn I am!" At least she can joke 'bout it now, I guess that's a good start. I'll help her forget all about that crap. Kyubey, what happens to us Magical Girls eventually, that wimp... especially that one. I still don't get how she could like him at all... Oh well, it's all good now, she doesn't seem to be into him any more.

"I was just 'bout to say that... once you're determined a mountain is more likely to back down." I like that 'bout her, she's definitely not a hypocrite. It gets her into trouble, sometimes she's in over her head... but she doesn't just give up once things get a little rough. Even when she's 'bout to lose, even if she almost died... she stays true to herself. Even when she was about to turn into a Witch because of it... I guess I do admire her.

"Heh, I'll take that as a compliment. I guess we're pretty much the same, though I'm more reasonable." I don't think I could be like her, even if I wanted to. But that's probably a good thing. Someone's got to take care of her, so I guess I'll just stick by her. Not that I have much of a choice... but even if I could chose, I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else. I'm happy with her, that's more than anything I could've said for the last three years.

"Well, at least I don't just attack anyone who doesn't agree with me right away." Right away? She could've just said I was right and I wouldn't have attacked her.

"You had your chance and you weren't really being cooperative either. But who cares? That's all in the past, let's worry 'bout the present. For example this delicious-looking tamagoyaki~" Mh, it tastes just as perfect as it looks~

"*Sigh* You're pretty easy to please, aren't you? I guess I'll take care of some homework... well, enjoy your meal." She goes over to her desk, looks through the drawers and takes out some papers. If that's what school's all about I can live without it... But I guess I'll just go along with whatever Sayaka wants, even if it sucks. "There's something else we need to talk about, but I guess we should rather discuss that tomorrow..."

"Huh? What is it? I ain't gonna like it, am I?" Bad news seems to be the only news there is lately... but it can't be too bad, right? We're in a pretty shitty situation to begin with. We could die or turn into abominations any second, so there ain't much that could make it worse.

"No, you probably won't like it... but we'll talk about it tomorrow, you aren't in the best of conditions right now, right?" I still got that nasty headache... but it's somewhat subsided, at least for now. Though some more sleep would probably be a good idea. Yeah, sleep...

"I guess you're right, I'll try to sleep some more..." She just nods and I lie back down...

...

**Author's note**:

Nyria: Merry Christmas to y'all! We ended up not making a special for Christmas, I hope that's alright.

Daniel: Sorry, my dog was euthanised a few days ago. I knew her for sixteen years, so that's... well, I didn't really feel like doing some special, sorry. But I don't want to spoil the festive mood, so have fun, all of you. Merry Christmas!


	9. If it's for Sayaka

Kyouko's POV

...

*Yawn* Is it morning already? I feel so tired... but at least my headache is pretty much gone. I still feel all tense... guess I should've listened to Sayaka. Not that I'd admit that. Where is she anyways? I look around a little bit, that's definitely her room. Maybe she's cooking~ Time to get up and see what's for breakfast. Um, no, I already had breakfast... all the better, it's time for lunch! Let's see, the kitchen was the second room to the right from here, wasn't it?

"Hey, Sayaka. Morning. So, what's for lunch?" I just walk in and get myself an apple. Good thing she bought some, though they're not gonna be enough for long. Something smells pretty good here~ There she is, standing at the stove. She slowly turns around and smiles, though her smile slowly fades and her face is getting kinda red. What's wrong with her? "You alright?"

"Kyouko, what are you-!? You are... get dressed!" Huh? I almost drop my apple... Oh crap! I run back to Sayaka's room, I'm just wearing a sports bra and panties! This feels like a bad dream, but I'm starting to get the feeling it isn't... *Sigh* What a way to start the day. At least she's cooking something, so it can't be that bad a day. Let's see, what will I wear today? Apparently something white, I can't find the things I wore yesterday anywhere. T-shirt, blue jeans... I guess that'll do. Well, back to the kitchen~

"Um, sorry 'bout before..."

"Just... get used to it, alright? I can do without seeing you almost nude every second day, alright?" Somehow she still looks a little bit red. Oh well, more importantly...

"So, what's for lunch?" It smells good enough, but I'm not sure what it is...

"Is that the only thing you ever care about? *Sigh* Grilled fish, some side dishes and what's left of breakfast. Though it's almost time for dinner. The only things you ever do are eating, sleeping, playing games and maybe fighting a Witch every now and then..." I'm fine with that. What else could I want?

"So what? That's the life I always wished for, except for the part with Witches. Why care 'bout anything else? I've got what I need. Even a friend, now. I'm happy, I wouldn't want any more. And if fighting Witches is the price for that... well, so be it. I wouldn't want it any other way, even if I could." Maybe, just maybe... it's a good thing, that everything happened the way it did. Not so much the part with my family, but... I'd have never met Sayaka if that didn't happen, right? So it can't be all bad.

"Um... you mean that? If I could choose, I'd... I don't really know, but..." If she could choose she'd be with that wimp now, not be a Magical Girl and she'd have never met me, I know that... Sayaka doesn't care much 'bout me. She has to get along with me, maybe she pities me a little bit... but that's it. I know that, I just... I don't want to admit it. I want to believe that she cares for me, I want her to feel for me...

"Yeah, it's alright. If you'd be able to choose I wouldn't be here, right? Sorry for forcing this on you..." If only I knew the words I'm looking for... I wanna tell her, I want my thoughts to reach... but I don't know how. A simple mistake could ruin everything, even our friendship.

"Kyouko... don't you ever say that again! It's true that our condition isn't what I'd have wanted, yes. But you became a precious friend to me. No matter what other choices I'd be given, I wouldn't want to give up on that! You are my friend. The best one I could wish for." Sayaka... even if it's a lie, I just want to believe it. I really do... maybe I should just accept it? If it's a lie... well, living a lie doesn't sound too bad, if that's what it's called.

"Um, thanks. Sorry 'bout that, I'm just a little bit hesitant. All these great things happening... I don't really trust it." After all that has happened...

"That's alright, you don't have to believe it immediately. But, one day... I want you to believe in me, alright? I will protect you, no matter what. So, let me. Let me protect you, let yourself be protected. I won't fail you, not for the life of me." Somehow I get the feeling that she's being serious... she really has something quixotic about her. Though I also like that, I'll just have to take care of her.

"Fine, protect me, if you really have to. But don't you dare leaving me alone, alright?! Never again!" I couldn't live on, if I lost Sayaka... I already lost everything, once, but this time... I don't think I could take it. No matter what I'd have to sacrifice... I'd do it, for her.

"Um... alright, I promise. I'll be with you, for as long as I can." I'm getting the feeling that she actually means it. Somehow I still get the feeling that it won't be that easy...

"Alright, you'd better remember that. No matter what, we'll do it together. I'll definitely not let you go any more, alright?" You'd better remember it... you'd better! I won't forgive you if you're lying, Sayaka! I definitely won't forgive you if you're going to abandon me! So please... if only I knew how to say it...

"I'm not going anywhere, Kyouko. And I'm not going to go back on my word, you should know me better than that. You don't have to say anything, I understand... I will do my best to stay with you, that has to be enough. It's all I can offer you. About the thing I wanted to tell you yesterday... I just heard some of your thoughts. Just as you might occasionally hear mine..." What? She isn't...

"Alright, Kyubey, stop messing with me. I don't want you to tell her my thoughts, alright? If you don't stop that I'll-"

"Kyubey has nothing to do with it. He said... it might be related to our Soul Gem. It seems likely, though I don't know for sure. What I do know is... well, we will hear each other's thoughts every now and then..." She doesn't sound much happier than I feel right now...

"So, wait... yer saying... we can just randomly hear each other's thoughts!?" That's really... not good. If Sayaka heard what I was thinking 'bout during breakfast...

"I don't think it's random, I think it's about... the intensity of the thought, so to speak. If you concentrate on me I might be able to hear it. If it's something else you just convey a vague feeling, if it's strong enough. I think that's how it works." Hm... You're an idiot, you're an idiot, **you're such an idiot!** "Hey! You could've thought something nice, you know? Something like..." _-is cute, Kyouko is cute, Kyouto is super adorable!_

"The... Um, Sayaka? That just now was..." It sounded exactly like her, but the words...

"Ehehe, just kidding. Though red suits you, you know? Totally goes with your hair~" Red? What does she mean? I'm not wearing red, she can't be talking about-

"Just... just shut up and finish lunch already!" She really is an idiot...

"Aww, poor little Kyouko~"

"You're really pushing it now, you know?" If we weren't connected... *Sigh* I guess there's no helping it. I'll just have to deal with it...

"There, there... though it's true, you are cute when you're embarrassed~" Um... is she... is she serious 'bout that? I can't really tell whether I should feel angry or... I don't even know how else to feel. Maybe I should just stick with angry? Then again, she might take it the wrong way, maybe she's the one trying to get closer? But I can't just come out, I... I...

"What do you want, Sayaka? Are you going anywhere with this? Or is it just a game to you?" Somehow I feel bold, all of a sudden. I walk up to Sayaka, this time I don't look away. I look straight into her blue eyes and slowly come closer, she backs away... If you want something, take it. That's how I always did it. Maybe I should just try it...

"Um, Kyouko? What are you...?" Now she's with her back to the wall, right where I like her. I reach for her hands and push them to the wall, over her head. She's so close, now it's her turn to turn red... "H-hey, we can stop this now... hey, hey! Stop that, don't come any-!" I just pinch her cheek with my other hand and back away.

"Just kidding~" There, how do you like that!? Now she's looking all flustered, though I also... I turn around so that she can't see me. I'm really not sure what I should think about this, does she... would she be interested? Would I be interested...? Ugh... why can't it ever be simple!? I... I should be careful, wouldn't want her to hear any of that.

"I... oh, lunch is ready." Her reactions also don't help me, at all...

"Um, alright. That's... good, yeah. Let's eat." Somehow things always get awkward the second I strike back... That's totally unfair! I mean, Sayaka is always the one to start, but whenever I try to get back at her the atmosphere completely changes... *Sigh* Life just hates me.

"The fish looks good, I'll get it out." Somehow the dialogue just gets more and more awkward... At least it smells good. We should probably just forget 'bout that and eat. I'll get her for all those small moments, one day. I just have to find out how...

"So, grilled fish, rice, miso soup... that's gonna be it, huh?" I guess it's enough, for the time being. I'll just make myself some ramen later on if it ain't enough. Somehow I'm getting a little bit tired of the instant food, I don't think it'd taste that good any more. Though I still love my pocky, I should get myself another box. One day without pocky, that's terrible...

"Yes, that's it. And some vegetables, you don't need any more. That should be plenty, you already had breakfast." Can't deny that...

"Alright, let's dig in!" I grab myself whatever I can reach, some fish here, some soup there... nice. Sayaka is giving me another look, as if she was about to complain 'bout my table manners again... but she doesn't, so I won't say anything either.

Somehow it's getting really quite. Sayaka doesn't say anything as she just pokes her food, I can't think of anything to say either... Somehow this is ruining the mood.

"Kyouko?"

"Hm?"

"What do you want to do, from now on? Is it alright with you if we go to school, try to live a normal life, as far as that's possible... or do you want something else?" Hm. I take another bite of the grilled fish as I think 'bout her question.

"Never really gave it much thought. I don't have much in the way of big dreams, I don't even have a goal. I guess I'll just let myself float for a while, see what your life is like. School, friends, all that stuff. After a while we can discuss that again, I don't know if I'd be happy with it. Would that make you happy? A normal life?" Sounds a little bit boring, in my opinion. But I guess I wouldn't mind that, if it's together with Sayaka.

"I don't know. Seeing Madoka is nice, but learning all that stuff for school... not to mention running into Kamijou-kun and Hitomi... I can't tell whether I would still like it or not. But what other choices are there? I don't want to end up on the streets or working overtime, just to pay my rend." I guess she has a point, stealing is out of the question, with her...

"Alright, I get it... School it is. But you'd better help me out. I've never really been to school, so I don't know anything 'bout it." I don't even know what they want me to know...

"Help you out... as Homura helped you out yesterday?" Huh? Sayaka glares at me, she's looking pissed. Homura...

"What are you talking about?" Yesterday, with the drinking... crap.

"You know that, don't you? I'm talking about Homura and you, trying to cheat. Though I don't really get why you wanted to do that..." So she actually found out...

"Hey, calm down, that wasn't my idea, it was hers. I'll admit it, I knew, but..." Somehow she seems to be pretty upset about the whole thing, did something happen? I can't really remember...

"So you were involved in that, weren't you? And now you want to do the same thing in school..." Sayaka doesn't seem to be pleased, not at all...

"Hey, it ain't cheating. Think of it as... compensation. Level the playing-field. The others don't have to worry 'bout fighting Witches or turning into them, right? So it'd just be fair if we helped each other out. If we don't spend much time learning we have more for spreading justice, having fun or whatever. Life as a Magical Girl is crappy enough, so I think that's just fair." Sayaka seems to think 'bout it for a bit.

"Well, if you put it like that... I guess you have a point. Maybe we can make it a little bit easier on us. Though I'm not too comfortable with it..." *Sigh* Probably something 'bout fairness, equality and all that crap.

"Damn right, or do you wanna handle Witch fights and exams at the same time? Exams are kinda difficult, aren't they? So ya couldn't concentrate on learning if there's a Witch around and you'd be really tired after the fight. That's all stuff others don't have to worry 'bout. 'sides, you also want some free time, right? Can't have everything if you're playin' 'fair'. That'd just give us a huge disadvantage." Sayaka seems to understand it as well.

"Yes, I guess so... it would be next to impossible, keeping up with everything else while fighting Witches and saving others who get caught up in it." So she does get it.

"Good, so that's settled. Hm, what's up with the weather?" The weather's only turning from bad to worse, apparently. The tension in the air seems to grow thicker with each passing day and it just doesn't let up... It's like the calm before a storm. Each day more clouds seem to gather, even if it rains... Why can't that stupid Walpurgisnacht come out already? I'd rather fight it now and be done with it. To be honest, it does worry me...

"It should be spring right now, but it sure doesn't look like it. Well, no point worrying about it, right?" Sayaka stands up and closes the curtains, I guess she feels the same way. Homura told us that Witch would be really strong and she herself ain't nothing to sneeze at. If we at least knew what it looks like... this uncertainty is driving me crazy! It makes me feel cold, almost to the point of shuddering... "You are thinking about the same thing, aren't you?"

"If you're talking 'bout that Witch, yeah." She pushes her chair next to mine and puts an arm 'round my shoulder, this does make me feel somewhat better...

"I'm also scared, to be honest. But don't worry, I'll be there, with you." I just let her pull me a little bit closer to her, she's really warm...

"Heh, when did I ever say I'm feeling scared?" I'm just pretending for her, just as she's pretending for me. I feel like a fool, trying to make fun of something that's probably so much bigger than us, to feel a little more comfortable... It's definitely out there, that Witch. It's probably snickering and laughing as it watches us, that's the feeling I get. I just want to go out there and hit it, but I know that there's nothing. Just clouds and rain.

"Well, even if I'm scared, Magical Girl Sayaka-chan will still beat that Witch as soon as it comes!" We're both fools... but that's alright. Maybe we should go, to some far-away place... just run away and never look back. My instincts are telling me that we should do that and I'm almost never wrong when it comes to that. But Sayaka... I guess we'll just have to stay, until the end. And when there's nothing left, maybe she'll understand that there's nothing we can do.

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Both of us laugh, though it's not a happy laugh. It's... it's hard to describe. We're trying to make fun of that Witch, of ourselves, of anything... but it's not working. It sounds more like hysterical laughter. Like that story dad told me 'bout. A man who challenged God and realised more and more that he couldn't win... at least Sayaka is warm, that's all I need. 'sides, who knows how strong that Witch is? Maybe it's pretty weak.

After our laughter dies away an awkward silence fills the room, it almost feels like... death. It's like back then, when I was returning home and... I probably shouldn't think 'bout that stuff right now, I'm feeling bad enough already. *Creak* W-what was that!? That sound almost gave me a heart attack...

"Sayaka, I'm home. Oh, and you as well, Sakura-san. Nice to see you both..." It's just Sayaka's dad, for a moment I thought...

"Hey, dad. You went shopping?" He's holding a big white bag in his hand.

"Oh, yes, that's... I'm going to install a hammock in my room." A hammock? Hm, maybe that would be nice, during summer.

"What do you want with a hammock when the weather's like this? Just don't get yourself hurt..." He just grumbles something and goes on, probably to his room.

"Hm, more lunch for me?" It's still a rather awkward atmosphere, somehow.

"You had your share, Kyouko." *Sigh* It was worth a try. "Anyways, I'll go to bed now. You can have my share, if you really want to." Huh? She wants to go to bed?

"Already? Come on, it ain't that late, right?" I just got up.

"Well, while you were busy playing Sleeping Beauty I took care of all kinds of things." Hm, maybe sleeping wouldn't be too bad. At least I won't have to think 'bout how depressing everything is. And... did Sayaka just complement me, indirectly? Nah, she was probably rather talking 'bout the 'sleeping' part...

"Fine with me, let's go." She doesn't bother clearing the table, she barely ate anything... I guess it's that damn atmosphere. Something isn't right, though I can't tell what it is. Feels like... the time before that happened. Shortly before dad...

"Are you still sleepy? You didn't do anything but sleep all day and night..." It's not really that I want to sleep, it's just... I dunno. Being all alone at a time like this would just be depressing.

"Yeah, I'm still kinda tired, must be the weather." Just lying around for a bit wouldn't be bad either, maybe I'll just fall asleep again. That way I won't have to think 'bout those things. I just get back to Sayaka's room and turn the lights on, she's right behind me.

"Go and put on your pyjama, alright? Yesterday was just an exception." Come to think of it...

"Why was I just wearing my underwear when I woke up? What happened to the stuff you gave me yesterday?" I usually just go to bed with my clothes on or throw them into some corner, but I couldn't find them anywhere...

"That's... I couldn't let you wear those, especially not in bed. Not after you threw up all over them..." Oh, so Sayaka- "Just forget it! It wasn't a very nice experience, for neither of us... just go and get changed already!" Hm, so Sayaka did that... Well, I don't mind, if it's her.

"It's not that big a deal, is it? Ya can just come in and get changed as well, right?" I did it with my li'l sis all of the time. Though I guess it's not the exact same thing with Sayaka...

"Um... I guess so, just like PE." PE? What was that again? Hm... physical something? Sports, I guess. Yeah, physical education.

"Mhm, just like that." Somehow I get the feeling that Sayaka doesn't feel as if it was the same. *Vrrr* Huh? Sounds like some kinda machine. Probably a drill, maybe Sayaka's dad.

"Fine... but don't look, alright?" She sounds so childish, as if I'd... yeah, no way. She doesn't know 'bout that one time... and I'd better not think of it either, otherwise that might change.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." Sayaka finally enters as well, picks up her pyjama and starts undressing on the other side of the room. Guess I should get changed as well. Pyjamas... feels like unnecessary luxury, what good are they anyways? *Sigh* It's probably no use, I'll just have to go along with it. Still too early to sleep... but just lying 'round sounds pretty good. Time to put on that pyjama... The sounds also stopped.

"So, what do you want to do tomorrow?" Sayaka seems to be done, I turn around to look at her. She's wearing a light blue pyjama, it looks really cute on her... no, I shouldn't think that! If she caught a glimpse of those thoughts... I guess I'll have to tell her, sooner or later. Um, then again... I'm just thinking she's cute, right? She already told me I was cute, so it shouldn't be a problem, right? Right?!

"T-tomorrow? I dunno..." She gives me a suspicious look. Oh God, did she...!? Nah, j-just stay calm...

"You seem to be a little nervous... is something wrong?" That's what I get for worrying 'bout that stuff!

"No, it's nothing, nothing at all! Um, how about we... go out for a while? Maybe a walk at the river? If the weather's good enough." It should be fine, it doesn't look as if she noticed... I'll have to be more careful, from now on.

"A walk? I shouldn't really go out if I'm not even going to school... and we can't just go there, you'd have to be enrolled first. To do that we would need your official records and a personal data sheet about what you did for the last few years. If we had that we'd have to go write a letter to the school and ask for forms to-"

"Geez, cut it out! That's way too complicated! 'sides, I don't have any of those things, as you know." At least that's a good distraction...

"Hm... I'm just wondering about what we should do. I really don't know how we should go about all that..." I'm still sceptical 'bout the whole school business...

"Maybe we just shouldn't? I mean, what good would school do us, in our situation? We're Magical Girls, in case ya forgot 'bout that. That's a full-time job, y'know? The Witches don't really care too much 'bout schedules, at least I'm pretty sure 'bout that." I don't really get it myself, Mami also did that... then again, she didn't really have a social life, I guess. Thinking of her now... she always had that holier-than-thou attitude. A little bit like Sayaka's obsession with justice, but Mami's was... feigned, I think. Pretentious.

"Well, I don't really want to make this any worse for my family, can't you understand that? I want to maintain a feeling of normality, even if it isn't true. For my dad, my mum... and especially Madoka. She'd be even more worried if I didn't come to school any longer. And it shouldn't be too bad, Mami-san also did it, right? And Homura also manages to do it." She still seems to have a certain distaste for her. Well, that's something we can kinda agree on.

"Mami didn't have any friends or family to speak of, right? She was way too clingy, no one likes someone like that. Pretentious, but nothing to back it up. She was downright pathetic, if she came to like-"

"Take that back... right now!" Whoops, maybe that wasn't too smart... "Mami wasn't like that at all! She was a really kind person and helped us out so much, she saved us back then! And she died protecting us... how could you call that pretentious or pathetic!? Is that how you think of me?!" Well, that escalated quickly... should've thought 'bout that before saying it. Sayaka ain't Homura, that much's for sure...

"Sorry, but that's how she was. She didn't fight the righteous fight or whatever, she just wanted to be admired and praised for how great she was. She rubbed it into anyone's face, whenever there was another Magical Girl in town. And don't tell me 'bout how she was, I worked with her for a whole year! She was obsessive, plain and simple. I don't think you did it for those reasons, but she did."

"How can you be so... how can you say those things about her?" She looks completely bewildered, as if it was that hard to grasp...

"Look, I've been in this business for a while. There are a lot of us who can't handle it. Mami is just one of those examples. She was broken, being with others was like patching her up with tape. Sure, might've done the trick for a while, but she was still broken. Sooner or later she would've completely fallen apart. She tried to **kill** me when I wanted to leave." Sayaka just gives me another dirty look, she doesn't want to hear this... well, too bad for her.

"You probably just did something to make her really angry. What was it, did you let innocent people die to get some more Grief Seeds? Mami-san wasn't like you, she would've never agreed to something like that. That's it, isn't it? But you just can't accept that, that it's your fault." She's starting to get on my nerves for real...

"Just shut the hell up, alright? Yeah, we didn't agree on that stuff, but I was just gonna leave this place and move to Kazamino. That would've been it, no more talking, no fight. But Mami just couldn't handle that, being alone. So I wacked her over the head and just left, alright? She tried to kill me, not the other way 'round. And it wasn't 'bout the goddamn Familiars..." Why can't she just keep quiet? It would all be better if she just didn't bring that stuff up...

"I won't shut up, you can't tell me what to say! I might be bound to you, but that doesn't mean I'll let you treat me like a dog. And if it wasn't about the Familiars, what was it about?" *Sigh* Of course she had to take that the wrong way, didn't she? Though I wouldn't mind having her behave like a dog for a while, that'd be pretty cute...

"I don't wanna talk 'bout all that, can we just leave it at that? I'm not in the mood for it. Let's just forget 'bout it, alright?" Sayaka just glares at me, I guess that's a 'no'...

"You know, not saying anything just confirms my suspicions. It was really your fault, wasn't-" My... That's it, I'm not gonna sit around and let her talk to me like that! I tackle her and she lands on the bed, I'm on top of her. I quickly push her arms above her head and hold them down. She's just looking at me with that emotionless gaze she had back then. So much for her being cute... "So, now you're showing your true colours?"

"Showing my- Just... just..." I can't really decide if I should feel afraid or angry, somehow she makes me feel like both. I almost want to hit her, but that would just make it even worse "Look, I'm sorry. It's just... I didn't want her company after my family died, alright?! I just wanted to be left alone! That's why I wanted to leave, and Mami wouldn't let me. At first it was the usual 'I care for you and can't just leave you to yourself in this dangerous world!' kinda stuff, just what you'd expect. But I was still going to go, and she just attacked me."

"I find that rather difficult to believe. Mami-san wasn't like that..." I let go of her hands now and put mine on either side of her head. She wasn't really fighting back either way. I'm still on top of her, but she doesn't seem to mind... or rather, she's too upset to mind.

"She wasn't like that? What do ya know 'bout what she was like, pray tell? You knew her for... what, a week? I've been working with her for half a year. She was lonely and desperate, she just wanted to have someone around. Didn't she tell you to become a Magical Girl!? And don't tell me 'bout her warning ya, she sure as hell didn't do a very good job of that. She wanted to have both of you around, even if it meant damning you."

"She didn't know about all of that..." Looks as if it was dawning on Sayaka. I bet Mami didn't tell either of 'em not to become a Magical Girl. She always liked Kyubey, she thought it was 'there for her'... Sure, I bet it was there when she was killed. With the same goddamn expression as always. Probably paid its respects by trying to force Sayaka and the other one into a contract, so that they'd end up the exact same way. If not worse...

"Even if there wasn't the whole 'becoming a Witch' kinda stuff, it's bad enough either way. Ya get one stupid wish and in exchange you give up your life? Not to mention the whole Soul Gem business. Maybe Mami didn't know half of it, but a quarter would've been more than enough. She was desperate for attention and company, end of the story. So, you happy, now that we've talked 'bout all the depressing crap I didn't wanna think 'bout?!"

"I don't think happy is the right word... but I'll leave it at that. We're just talking past each other, so there really isn't much of a point. Believe whatever you want to, I'll believe what I saw and heard from her. She did warn us, I was just too stupid..." *Sigh* I still think Mami is to blame for this, at least partially. But when you're young... I guess you just don't listen, huh? I can't seem to convince Sayaka, so we might as well stop arguing.

"Don't blame yourself for everything that's happened, alright? Mami knew that bringing you two along would be dangerous, it was her decision. She died while protecting you, yeah, but she shouldn't have brought ya along to begin with." What the hell was she thinking either way? Bringing along two rookies... not rookies, they weren't even Magical Girls at that point. Probably couldn't take it on her own any more. And Sayaka called me selfish? Yeah, right...

"Let's just sleep. Could you get off me already...?" Crap, I'm still on top of her! I quickly jump back and almost lose my balance, Sayaka just gives me a strange look...

"Um, sorry 'bout that, I was just... I didn't even notice." Maybe our Soul Gem isn't clean enough? I take a quick look, but it seems to be doing just fine. Well, I guess keeping it clean won't just solve all of our problems, huh? I put it onto the night table, wouldn't wanna roll over it while I'm sleeping. *Sigh* Things always are so complicated with Sayaka... I've gotta watch every step I take or I might just walk over the edge without even knowing it.

"I'll turn the lights off." I just lie down on the bed and look over to her. Man, I almost miss my simple life before... that's why I was livin' on my own to begin with. Ya don't have to consider someone's feelings and all that stuff. Doesn't hurt anyone, doesn't get ya hurt. But... I guess I gave that all up for her, didn't I? Too late to regret anything. "Am I really that great a burden to you...?"

"Huh? What are you on 'bout now?" The lights turn off and I can hear the sheets rustling next to me, my eyes are still adjusting.

"You were thinking about that, right? How much better you had it when you were still on your own... *Sigh* I'd reverse this, if I could. If we find a way... that's what you want, isn't it?" Would I want that? I really don't know. I mean, it can get annoying and so on, but... I couldn't feel her compassion either, if we were separated again. We would probably fail to communicate, without this. Our arguments would turn into fights and then...

"I was thinking 'bout the bad stuff, yeah. But that's not all there is, right? I'm more annoyed than I was in a long time, but I ain't felt this happy for years. You can be as stubborn as a mule and we fight a lot, but... I dunno how to explain this stuff." I just try to convey the emotions to her, it's complicated... I think the best way I can describe this would be 'home'. It feels like home. There are some bad things, yeah. But there are so many great things as well.

"I don't think I understand... well, not entirely. Maybe it's because of how different our lives used to be, or it's because of how different we are. But you aren't really unhappy, did I get that part right?" I just mumble something, saying it out loud would be... embarrassing, I guess. I just gaze up at the ceiling, it's pretty dark in here. Just a little bit of light is coming in from the street lights.

"I guess I messed your life up way more, huh? I mean, you had a good life, until Mami and me destroyed it. And Kyubey, of course. Stupid critter..." I kinda wonder just how much this is Mami's fault... and mine, for letting Mami live. She was really wrong in the head, but I just couldn't finish it. Guess I'm not so tough, after all...

"Not much more than it was, to be honest. Mami-san and you, you didn't get me into this problem, it was all Kyubey. Well, that and my foolishness..." I guess that much is the same for all of us. Stupid little thing... If it wasn't for that we'd all be happier. Well, dunno 'bout Mami, but Sayaka, Homura and me... our lives would be a lot better. Sure, I'd still be starving with my family, but that doesn't sound too bad. At least it wouldn't be our fault...

"Well, you can be pretty stupid, I guess. Throwing everything you have away for some jerk who won't even look at you?" Ouch, I think that one hit home. I only meant it as a joke... though it isn't a lie. I really don't understand how she could do that... I mean, she had it all and that selfish little prick just couldn't shut up 'bout his arm? I bet he didn't even know real hunger, yet he cried 'bout that. And as soon as he's better he just forgets 'bout Sayaka... I mean, how could he!? Son of a bitch.

"Haha, I guess that was pretty foolish... but I still won't regret it. You gave me a second chance when there didn't seem to be anything I could do. I'm not going to throw that away, maybe my life has some use left, after all." I hate it, how she's talking. As if her life was worthless on its own... can't she see how much she means to me?! Or her friend? I turn to my side to look at her, though I can't really see anything...

"You don't have to have a use or something. You're not some object that's only needed for a certain duty or something. You're a precious friend for me and a lot of people would be very sad if something happened to you. Madoka, your dad, maybe some other friends... and think 'bout me, alright? So stop talking 'bout uses and purposes, just be you. I don't care for some hero or something, I'm happy with this foolish you. Just as anyone else is." Well, Homura probably not so much... but who cares? Can't please her either way.

"I know you're just saying this to make me feel better, but... still, thanks. But that's really enough for one evening, I'm really tired... I'll sleep now, alright? Good night." Sayaka shifts a little bit, getting more comfortable. I'm still not sleepy at all, but there's enough stuff to think 'bout. Maybe I'll slip out later and play some video games, but for now I'll just reflect on that stuff.

"Well, I do mean it. But we can talk more 'bout this some other time, if you want to. Good night." I roll around a little bit, trying to find a more comfortable position... there are two pillows, but only one blanket. So we kinda have to stay close together, otherwise there'll be an unpleasant air draught... oh well, I don't really mind.

...

"Ouch!" I was just 'bout to fall asleep, after who knows how long... then Sayaka had to start thrashing and kicking 'round! "What the hell is this about!?" She doesn't seem to be awake though... I shake her a little bit, but she doesn't even seem to notice it. I try to reach out for her via our Soul Gem, this seems to work a little bit better. She feels really strange right now, almost panicked...

"K-Kyouko? Is something wrong?" The nerve of her... And here I was, getting worried over nothing. *Sigh* It can't be helped, probably just a nightmare.

"Why don't you tell me? You were the one who was kicking me outta bed." I get up and search for the light switch, I think it was somewhere 'round here... found it. "Man, you look terrible." Sayaka's all sweaty, I think she also cried...

"Huh? I... I don't get it. I don't know what it is, but something is definitely wrong." Something's wrong? Well, obviously the atmosphere and everything, but that ain't changed since we went to bed.

"What's that? A Witch or something?" She looks really disoriented, that musta been one hell of a nightmare. Well, I know how that is, I'm just glad it doesn't happen to me so often. At least not any more.

"I... don't know. Can't you feel it? It's, like... really off." Sayaka sure isn't making much sense now. Everything's been off for the last few days, I don't really notice anything different right now. But I guess she wouldn't be this upset if it was just a bad dream, right? *Clang* Sayaka flinches, what was that sound? Sounded like metal hitting the floor or something. "W-what was that? This isn't funny..."

"Just lie back down and try to sleep or something, it's probably nothing." I just shrug it off, no use getting worked up over it. Witches wouldn't cause such sounds.

"No, there... there's definitely something. I'm scared..." I still don't feel much, though I don't think she's lying. "W-well? Aren't you... going to take a look?" Aww, is poor li'l Sayaka scared? That's just too precious~

"Why don't you come along, take a look? At worst it's a burglar or something, nothing to worry 'bout." I don't think I convinced her...

"Kyouko, this isn't... please, just go..." Man, she's being serious. She's even asking for help, now I feel like a real jerk...

"Yeah, alright, alright. I'll go and check it out, you just try and go back to sleep." I pick up our Soul Gem and turn off the lights as I leave the room. Something definitely ain't right here... I think it came from the room opposite to ours. There's light coming from below the door, maybe Sayaka's dad just knocked something over. I knock on the door. ... still no reply? I try the doorknob, but it won't bulge. Strange...

"Gah...! *Gasp*" The heck are those sounds!? No time to waste, I change into my gear and ram my body against the door. ***CRASH*** It doesn't stand much of a chance against my enhanced strength.

"K-Kyouko!? What was that sound...?" Holy shit! There's a chair lying on the ground, and on the ceiling, swinging and struggling around...! Fuck! It's just like... snap out of it! I materialise my spear and cut through the rope as fast as I can. Sayaka's father falls to the ground, though he's still gasping for air... I quickly to cut the rope around his neck, the fuck is this!? Calm down, calm down... I can't let Sayaka see this.

"It's nothing!" I check his pulse... thank God, this could've gone a lot worse. I'll have him answer for this, though not right now. I'll have to calm Sayaka down first and make sure she's asleep. I return to Sayaka's room and try to act as calm as I can... "Sorry, it was nothing, after all. Your dad just knocked over a chair."

"T-that metal thing he has? But what was that other sound? It was way too loud to come from that..." Just stay calm and tell her something... I can't let her notice anything.

"Oh, that. He apparently tried to pull himself up on a shelf and... well, that didn't work out so well. Scared the hell outta me when it was suddenly coming down on me, barely missed." I think she's buying into it. Would be for the best.

"That does sound like something he'd manage to do, he always had two left hands. Now I just feel silly... well, sorry for wasting your time, I guess." I feel pretty relieved, but I can't let her notice that either. Just have to act naturally...

"Yeah, you'd better be. Kicking me out of bed and acting all scared... what are ya, a kid?" I just do my best to sound teasing as I lie down next to her again. I put our Soul gem aside again, just like before. With a bit of luck it won't be long until she's asleep again.

"Well, I could've slept on the couch as well, you- *Yawn* you insisted on me sleeping here." I guess so... though I didn't think it'd be like this.

"Yeah, yeah, always my fault... anyways, that'll probably all be over once we kick that Witch's ass. So you'd better get ready for that, right?" Sayaka just mumbles something and curls up, just like a puppy. I bet she'd look adorable right now... but the lights are out and I shouldn't bother her right now. I feel pretty damn pissed off, that was exactly... I'm lucky if I don't get any nightmares after that.

...

It's been a while and Sayaka seems to be soundly asleep, so I get up. I try to be as silent as possible, wouldn't want her to wake up. Seems as if she's calmed down by now, her soul is resting as well. But there's something I'll have to settle before going to bed... I get to the room of Sayaka's dad again, he's just sitting in a corner and crying. "The hell's wrong with you!? Do you have the slightest idea what would've happened if Sayaka found ya like that, or if I'd been there a minute later!?" I try not to scream, though I can't help getting a little bit louder...

"What's... what's the point? She'll die! Both of you will... you told me yourself, remember?!" *Sigh* And here's why I said that wouldn't be a good idea. Just 'bout as good as telling him his daughter got an incurable cancer in her soul. And I'll have to deal with this, just great...

"So fucking what?! We're all gonna die sooner or later, what's the big deal? What ya just did was way more dangerous, could've ended way worse than death for her! Could've turned Sayaka into a damn Witch, didn't I tell ya!?" It's pretty damn hard to stay calm after all of that... but screaming probably won't solve anything. Wouldn't want Sayaka to get into the middle of this...

"No need to worry about that... she doesn't care much for me. I was never there for her either way... always away on some business trip or another, meeting business associates... I can't even remember the last time we talked, before all this! I was going to leave everything to her..." Apparently stupidity is something that runs in the family, huh?

"You really think that? Idiot. She does care for ya. Considering how stupid you are I'm not happy 'bout that, but whatever..." There's a strange smell in the air, kinda familiar... It's coming from him. Just what- bottles. That's alcohol, ain't it? "Just 'cause of that stupid stuff, huh? You're no better than dad." He was the same, had a drinking problem and someday just decided to fuck my life up...

"The other way around... didn't want it to hurt so much, so I got myself some alcohol." Pathetic... can't no one handle that stuff, other than me?

"Tch, so you weren't even man enough to take the hard way out, huh? I don't wanna see any of that stuff here any more, understood? And if ya ever try something like that again, forget 'bout an easy way out. I'll personally take care of it and it ain't gonna be easy or painless. I don't care who it is, I won't let them hurt Sayaka. Includes you, so you'd better not do anything stupid again..." It's always something, huh?

"And what am I supposed to do? I can't do anything! My daughter is dying and I can't do anything! I can't handle that, my daughter dying before me! Tell me what to do..." And why should I have to do that?! *Sigh* It only gets from bad to worse...

"First of all, stop screaming. Don't ya dare involving Sayaka in any of this. Secondly, take some time for her. Make up for it if ya feel guilty. You have the money, don't you? You still have time for that, if you don't do it now... might regret it later. I'm not gonna let her die or something, but you'd still better be on the safe side." Why do I have to play psychiatrist? All I'd need now is to tell him to lie down on a couch and talk 'bout his problems... well, it's fine if it helps Sayaka.

"You're right... but would she even want that? What if she just... doesn't want to spend time with me? I failed her so much, I wasn't there for her when she needed me..." That's why I'll never do stuff like that. Can't handle all those stupid excuses.

"Worry 'bout that if it happens, yeah? Don't waste time worrying, do something for her. I'll be 'round, but I can leave ya some space. Maybe go to a concert or something, she'd probably like that. To that idiot, if it has to be... and do us all a favour and don't kill yourself before Sayaka actually dies. I'm not planning on letting her die, so get it outta your head." I'd much rather not see that stupid face, it's just screaming 'Hit me!'. but if it makes Sayaka happy...

"That you'd have to provide pastoral care for me... haha, I guess I am pathetic. I'll... I'll see what I can do. You should probably go to bed now, it's rather late." That's the best I can do, for now. I ain't some family therapist, I really don't know what else I could do... I don't want Sayaka to experience stuff like I did.

"Only if you pledge that you're not gonna do something like that again. You hear me? I want you to get on your knees, hand on your heart and swear that you're not gonna kill yourself or hurt Sayaka in any way, to whatever gods ya believe in." He actually gets on his knee and puts his hand on his heart, though he's weaving 'round. Looks kinda funny...

"Well, I don't believe in any gods, so my life will have to do. I'm not going to hurt Sayaka in any way." Let's just hope he remembers that... "Hey, could I... tell you? There's a lot I have to get off my chest." *Sigh* Don't think that's my duty, but it might be better.

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead. It's not as if you'd shut up, even if I told ya to, right?" He just laughs, I guess he's pretty drunk.

"Probably not... Anyways, my life's been a complete mess. I studied economics to get a good job and I got it. But that's not everything... too bad they don't teach you that at school. My own real estate company, me as the CEO... Sounds great, doesn't it? I have all the money or power I could ever need, but I never get to see my family... not that my wife would want to see me." His wife? That would be...

"What's she like? Sayaka's mum?" I don't like her, after what Sayaka told me...

"Well, that's... *Sigh* We got to know each other when I was still young and hopeful. Great time, really. but it didn't go so well. She expected me to manage both, family life and a successful business. I offered to go back on the business part, so that I'd have more time for her and little Sayaka, but she'd have none of it. Now she blames me for giving her what she wanted all along. Haha..." What a bitch.

"I heard she hit Sayaka back then?" He looks pretty depressed... well, I guess he'll have to get through all that. Otherwise he'll probably just do something stupid again. Though he should really look for someone else, I ain't the right person for that stuff...

"Yes, she did. Couldn't handle the situation and had no one else, so she took her anger out on Sayaka... I should've been there and taken it, but I rarely ever was. It wasn't her fault, she just couldn't bear it... And when I was there we played happy family... well, that's all over now. She accused me of having an affair and left, though she comes back every now and then. " I don't envy Sayaka for that kinda family... My dad was messed up, but the time we had together was so happy... well, makes the loss all the more painful.

"Then go back on your business now. Ya won't have to listen to that... woman now, right? Take some time for Sayaka and all that stuff, I think she needs someone right now." He just smirks in a self-loathing way. "And cut it with that alcohol crap, won't do any good."

"I don't know how... without it, I can't feel. Or rather, I can't show how I feel, I never learned how..." I wish I had his kinda issues, that's hardly difficult.

"Pff, how's that a problem? Just give her a hug, take her to the merry-go-round, buy her some cotton candy... what's the big deal? It's not that hard to do. Heck, ya wouldn't even need money to do that, it was just-" Just fine with mum and dad? Is that what I was going to say? FUCK! Why did it have to... I'll never forgive ya, dad. Can be glad he's dead already, otherwise I'd do it myself. Just hung himself after all he did...

"It might seem so... just a small step, isn't it? We all have our problems and they might seem silly to others. But that doesn't make them any less significant for us. Besides, I really don't think she would want that. She must hate me, after all that has happened. How long do you know her?" How long?

"Maybe a couple of days, why?"

"See? That's exactly what I mean. You know her for a couple of days and you get along with her far better than her 'old man' ever did... Maybe I should just leave this to you? You seem to be getting along very well..." Heh, he hasn't seen us fighting yet... though I do feel a little bit flattered.

"As gloomy as she gets? She'll need all the support she can get and you mean a damn lot to her, like it or not. I told her not to tell you 'bout all that crazy shit, but she believed in ya. Better make something of that, yeah?" He just starts crying again, though his expression barely changes. How am I supposed to react in a situation like this!? Maybe I should just leave already.

"Well, this is embarrassing... sorry." Maybe that's exactly what he needs.

"Just show that to Sayaka, I bet she'd understand. And you'd better get to bed, you're barely keeping it together..." I just hope this will be it... I'm having my doubts, but there ain't anything I can do. Did I look that stupid when I was drunk...?

"Yes, sorry for all of this..." He crawls to his bed, it looks pretty amusing. And I can finally get back to bed as well. Though I don't think I'll manage to sleep much, I've still got to think 'bout some things.

...

Mmh... is it morning already? It's so warm... Sayaka's hugging me, feels pretty nice. Still as grey outside as it was the last few days. Some birds chirping and flying 'round... wait, what!? I shift around slightly, she has both her arms around my back... Can't see her face, my forehead against her chin... What do I look like to her, a cuddly toy!? I feel abused... in a strangely good kinda way. Just kidding. Though I bet it'll be hilarious when she wakes up. I wriggle around a little bit to get a better view of her. She does look pretty...

My right hand is kinda stuck in the position we're in, so I raise my left one instead. Closer, a little closer... *Poke* I'll poke her cheek until she wakes up! I can't resist it, it's just too funny. *Poke* She's moving a little bit, but she still ain't waking up... I try to tickle her instead and she move around a little, but she's still not waking up. *Pinch* You gotta be kidding me... should I get cold water or something!?

_Sayaka... wake the hell up already! _She finally seems to stir from her sleep, took her long enough. She slowly opens her azure eyes and blinks. Her hair's a real mess right now. She just blinks once more, then she closes her eyes altogether... _Hey, don't just ignore me!_

_What's..._ *Yawn* _What's the matter?_ Is that really so hard to understand!?

"Well, since you're finally waking up... Maybe hugging me like that is the matter!" I mean, I know she didn't do this consciously, but... She's just moving 'round weakly, pushing herself even closer...! "Cut that out already!"

"Huh? It's not that big of a deal, stuff like this happens when you share a bed. Besides, that's nothing compared to what you did that night..." How'd she know that? Did that, like... happen to her before!? 'sides...

"What're ya talking 'bout, that night?" Maybe when I saved her sorry ass? Though I don't get what that's gotta do with anything.

"Hmpf, I'm not telling you." She just lets go of me and moves away, did I... offend her?

"Really, what's this about?"

"That's way too embarrassing, I'm not going to say a word!" I'm getting kinda worried over here... I try to catch a glimpse of her thoughts, but she somehow manages to prevent me from feeling anything. "You didn't tell me about last night either, right? You were very shocked and angry, that wasn't nothing." Those are two completely different things!

"Yeah, yeah, fine... let's just forget 'bout it. But you're gonna make breakfast now, right?" I'm getting kinda hungry and Sayaka would probably get really mad if I ate some pocky in bed.

"So that's why you woke me up?! *Sigh* Alright, I'll make something..." She sounds a little bit annoyed, but then she gives me a brilliant smile. Not the worst way to start a day, I guess.

...

**Author's note**: Sorry, took a while... but here it is! We tried to at least get a little section for Sayaka in, but it just wouldn't fit... so this one's all Kyouko. Walpurgisnacht sure is taking its sweet time... but ya can't get out the Final Boss too soon, right?


	10. History lesson

**Kyouko's POV**

...

It's a pretty good day, after all. Sayaka is having breakfast with her dad, he's being really nice. It's for the better, me going instead of Sayaka. Had she seen that... I will protect her. Her dad seems to be alright, at least for now. I just hope it stays that way, otherwise Sayaka probably couldn't keep going... It's going to be alright, this will be the best damn timeline, universe or whatever else there is. I'll make sure of it, it's all going to be fine.

Though I should probably call Homura now. Before breakfast Sayaka asked Madoka for her number, 'cause I wanna talk to her 'bout Walpurgisnacht. Well, that's the official story. I rather want to ask her about that evening... *Beep* *Beep* "Homura?" I get myself some pockies, one for now, 19 for the day. *Sigh* Not enough, but what can I do?

"Kyouko, is it? What do you want?" She sounds pretty grumpy. Well, that's how she always sounds anyways.

"Well, I wanted to ask you... about that night. You remember what happened, yeah? Sayaka didn't wanna talk 'bout it." There's a moment of silence, then I can hear her... snickering?

"Ah, yes, **that** night... Well, it's to be expected that she doesn't want to talk about it." That doesn't sound too good...

"So, what was going on?"

"Well, how much **do** you remember?" Not that much, actually...

"Hm, Sayaka's teacher called, we fought a Witch on the way and then... well, we had that surprise party for Sayaka, played some games... anything else?" The next thing I remember was a headache of epic proportions...

"Only the fondest memories, I see. Are you sure you want to know what happened after that?" I can literally hear her smirking... She's probably just teasing me. I mean, Sayaka was pretty upset, but that seems to be it. No swords, no insults, nothing.

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Well, she found out about our little agreement." Oh, that... *Sigh* Well, fuck.

"So, she... she knows everything?" I just hope she doesn't hate me now... it sure ain't something to be proud of. Yeah, it was pretty stupid. Then again, it was Homura's idea...

"Oh, not quite. Just about us manipulating the game. She was rather upset, though." Game...?

"What exactly happened?" I get myself another pocky, maybe I should take a second package with me. Just in case...

"Oh, now you're asking 'Homuhomu', huh?" Hm, I kinda like that. Homuhomu...

"Yeah, go on... Homuhomu." Now she's sighing. Serves ya right.

"Well, we played 'spin the bottle'. I was... well, making things go smoothly, but Sayaka found out. Though that wasn't the problematic part..." I think she's savouring this... saving the worst one until the end.

"Spill! Sayaka ain't gonna eat breakfast forever."

"Very well. You kissed her. On the mouth, before you ask."

"Hm, I see. So I just... wait, what!? Come on! Ya can't be serious 'bout that, right!?" I even dropped my pocky! If that's a joke... though I guess that would upset Sayaka, for real...

"Oh, I am. Though that was after she found out. She wanted to take a shot instead, but you seemed to be... a little too eager, shall we say? Though you should wait for the payoff, it gets even better. That was her first kiss~" Homura sounds really gleeful...

"Cut that out! No way in hell it was! Sayaka'd kill me if I did something like that!" Sure, she was angry and all, but that... she'd probably explode right there if I did something like that!

"Well, you also declared your love for her, though it looked more comedic than romantic, in my opinion. And you don't have to believe me. You could just ask her, couldn't you?" I guess she wouldn't be that gleeful if it was just a joke...

"Yeah, as if. And how'd I look if it was a stupid joke?"

"You could ask someone who wouldn't make a joke out of this. Isn't that right, Incubator?" What the heck!? Kyubey wasn't there!

_Oh, I was observing you. Your condition is of interest to us, it could lead towards a scientific breakthrough. And yes, you did 'kiss' her. Though I don't get why pressing your lips together has any significance for you. There is nothing special about pressing those specific patches of skin together. It's no different from touching the hand of another human being. I really don't get you..._ Gah, that creepy little...!

"Tch, great. And what should I do now?! Our situation is kinda difficult as is, as you might know..." I'm not even sure how I feel 'bout Sayaka. I mean, I think I love her... but how?

"Well, you could just ask her out. What's stopping you? Worked out just fine for me." Huh? What the...

"You're saying..."

"I confessed to Madoka, we're together." She's just saying that so matter-of-factly... The heck!?

"You're kidding me..."

"Madoka! Come here for a moment..." Wait, she's actually being serious...?

"What is it, Homura-chan?"

"You're my girlfriend, right?" I almost feel bad for Madoka. She's probably really embarrassed right now.

"I... I guess so... why are you asking me this now?" Wait, she didn't even-

"Well, now you know, Kyouko. Are you happy now?" I can hear Madoka protesting in the background... wow. I'm not sure how I should feel about this. Well, I guess I don't really care. It's not as if they were my friends or something.

"Um... congrats, I guess? But... what should I do with Sayaka!?" She ain't gonna like this thing with Homura either, but I'm more worried 'bout my problems right now...

"Yes, yes... alright, Madoka... Anyways, back to you and Miki- I mean, Sayaka. You want to be with her, don't you?" Putting me on the spot like this... *Sigh* I really don't know what I should think. I don't think Sayaka would just accept that...

"Give me that phone, Homura-chan!" Now I'm hearing them groaning and- *Clang* No idea what that was. "Kyouko-chan... it's you, right?"

"Um, yeah, it's me..."

"So, you want to be with Sayaka-chan? Homura-chan told me..." Well, this is awkward...

"I... I guess so. Though Homura should watch her tongue, or I'll come and get it!"

"That's... I think we will need that. Sorry, that would be bad..." Ugh, just what the... I can hear Homura snickering in the background. "Huh? What do you- NOT LIKE THAT! I... I didn't mean anything like that!" Oh my god... is this some weird kinda dream? Wouldn't even surprise me after all the stuff that's happened.

"Could you get to the point? I'm 'bout to cut the connection."

"Y-yes... sorry. Anyways... I think there are some things you should know about Sayaka. Before doing something like that..." Hm, I guess Madoka would know more 'bout Sayaka than me, huh?

"Yeah. What're ya waiting for? Tell me!" Truth be told, I'm a little bit curious...

"Well, I think... I just think now wouldn't be the right time. Sayaka-chan is probably still processing that thing with Hitomi-chan and Kamijou-kun..." Oh, that's right. I didn't even think 'bout that. I guess she might still be obsessed with that little wimp...

"I guess so..." I don't think I'll ever understand that. Why would she choose him over me?! I bet she would, if it came to that... that totally sucks! I don't really have much to offer, I guess, but... I love her! Um, at least I think I do... 'sides, that bastard has even less going for him!

"I'm sorry, that's just how she is... She might not look or seem like it, but she's a hopeless romantic, deep down. That's why... she's probably really upset about you taking her... well, you know... She's not going to admit it, but she's probably really mad." Well, I figured that much.

"And what should I do 'bout that?"

"You should probably just apologise to her, she prefers honesty. She's just like a hero, from one of those stories she loves..." Heh, I guess so. She's gotta be the most pathetic hero ever... but somehow that makes me feel much more for her. She really tries to do the right thing and stuff like that. *Sigh* She's such an idiot...

"Yeah, I think I'll try that." Confessing to her... yeah, that just sounds stupid. Especially right now. Great advice, 'Homuhomu'...

"And, um... Sayaka-chan is actually a very fragile person. She pretends to be strong and doesn't seem to care, but... she really does. I think she likes you, but not like that. Not right now. I'm sorry, but I think-"

"Yeah, I know. I was pretty sure of that already. I guess I'm just hopeless, huh? Falling in love with someone like her... hehe. It's almost funny. Anyways, thanks a lot." I knew most of these things already, though it still hurts... but that was one act of faith if I ever saw one. Revealing those things to me... I think she really cares 'bout Sayaka and wants to protect her, in her own way. It's as if she was leaving Sayaka to me...

"Kyouko-chan... I'm sorry. I'd really like to tell you something else... but you'd probably just end up hurting both of you, if you confessed to her. Sayaka-chan might accept... I think she would try, but I don't think she feels the same way. It... wouldn't work out, in the long run." Well, figures. Just my luck. It's almost funny, now I feel the same way Sayaka must've felt. I want to tell her, but I just can't... I'm not really sure how I feel, but I want to figure it out. With her... Damn!

"Yeah, I know." I can hear some noises on the other end again. They're probably fighting over the phone or something. I just take out a third pocky, I guess I'll need the second box to make it through the day...

"I still think you should try. It might not work out... but Sayaka likes honesty, right? Both of you agreed on that. Besides, you can conclude it. If it works out, great. If it doesn't, that's it. If you can't work up the courage to tell her now, maybe you never will. And you will continue to hurt until you speak up. If you do it now, that's that. If you don't, you will carry that around with you for months, possibly years. I'm absolutely positive that she would accept. We aren't talking about eternity, we are talking about until five years from now on, if you get lucky. If you reveal your true feelings to her, that is." I guess Homura got it back...

"Heh, that sounds like some stupid fairy tale ending. Just tell her ya love her, then kiss her and BAM! You ride into the sunset on a white horse or what? Happily ever after? That ain't how it works."

"Well, that's how it worked for me. And if that could work out with anyone it would be her, right? Had I not told Madoka how I feel I'd still be worrying about it. It's a strain on your soul and you know where that can lead." That's also true, I guess... but I still think Madoka is right.

"Yeah, if I do that... there's a chance we might die or worse, ya know? That's easy for you to say, you can just turn back time and try again and again. For us it's game over if it doesn't go well." It's really troublesome...

"Kyouko... this is the first time I did it. The first time in years, maybe even decades. I didn't do this before. I didn't want to alienate Madoka or put her in danger... I know how you feel. I think it's better to die trying than to do nothing at all, wouldn't you agree?" She's right 'bout that, but...

"Homura-chan! I'm not saying she shouldn't confess, I'm just saying now is not-!"

"Madoka... you mean well, but you don't understand what you are talking about. The life of a Magical Girl is short. They could both die while fighting a Witch tomorrow or succumb to despair. The same is true for myself, of course. But I have experience. What if Sayaka died? Could you live with that regret, Sakura Kyouko? You probably wouldn't live much longer, but you might survive it." Ugh... she does have a point. I just... I don't know!

"Both of you have a point... I'll have to think more 'bout this." Why does it have to be so damn complicated?! If it wasn't for our stupid Soul Gems ending up fused together...! *Sigh* Who am I kidding...? Even if that wasn't the case... I don't think I could just ask Sayaka out and move on if she turned me down. I couldn't just abandon her and we'd end up fighting all of the time... well, fuck.

"Though I would ask you to wait until Walpurgisnacht is defeated. I rather wouldn't fight it without you. It won't be long now." Of course she wasn't just trying to help me out... Would've been stupid to think that.

"Yeah, I know. Thanks anyways, bye." I just hang up. That didn't really help... I'm exactly where I started off. If that Walpurgisnacht is as strong as Homura says, maybe I should tell Sayaka right now... Nah, that way one of us would just end up dying. That's how it usually goes, right? Sure ways to die include being x days away from retirement or confessing your love to someone before the battle. Though I guess we'd both-

"Hey, Kyouko! What's keeping you?" Wha-!? Wow, Sayaka gave me a real scare... "Breakfast is ready. You do know that, right? You aren't sick or anything, are you?" I guess I won't need some pocky, at least not for a while.

"Of course not. I just wanted to ask Homura 'bout some things first. So, what's for breakfast?" She just looks at me, suspiciously...

"What did you talk about?" I'm just glad that she didn't eavesdrop. I guess she wouldn't do stuff like that, huh? And she didn't seem to pick anything up through our Soul Gem either. Good...

"Just the usual, Witches and stuff. That Walpurgisnacht thing is going to arrive soon." I'm not going to tell her, after all. When I just look at her like this... not now. I'll definitely do it later. And I shouldn't tell her about Homura and Madoka either, that's none of my business. I never paid much attention to it, but she does look really beautiful... such a bright blue, even though the sun ain't nowhere to be seen. Her smile really makes me feel better. If only I could tell her...

"Hm, I guess so... Well, we're going to send it straight back to hell, right?"

"Yeah, sure thing." Now she's coming a little bit closer and gives me an angry look...

"I said we're going to send it straight back to hell! You've got to get hyped, Kyouko!" Now she's pouting, it looks pretty cute~

"We'll kick its ass! Was there even a doubt?"

"There, that's the Kyouko I know!" She's pretty easy to please... "Anyways, let's eat breakfast now." Yeah, it's definitely a great day!

...

"The museum?" Breakfast was pretty nice, though I'm not sure 'bout that museum part...

"Yes, I thought that might be nice. I took the day off, so I'll have some time. They have a pretty interesting exhibition at the moment, if you'd like to go." Can't say I'm interested in ancient piles of dust and stuff like that...

"Well, alright. I don't think anyone from my classes would be there anyways." Well, it's still Sayaka's decision. I don't think she actually cares much 'bout the exhibition either, but whatever. It'd be nice if she could fix her relationship with her dad. That way I won't have to keep an eye out for him.

"Sure, why not? It's not as if I'd got anything better to do." I could play some video games... but I don't really feel like doing that. Now that I always have the opportunity, I just don't care that much. 'sides, it'd be more fun to do it with Sayaka. *Sigh* I should just stop worrying 'bout those other things, for the time being. There's still some time left until I'll have to tell her.

"Hm, what are you thinking about? Are you still worried about that Witch?" Da- stay calm. Just stop thinking 'bout **that**...

"Yeah, that's just it. Walpurgisnacht will arrive soon."

"Walpurgisnacht? As in, 30th of April to the 1st of May? That is rather soon. Four days, right?" Huh? Sayaka's dad...

"What're ya talking 'bout? You know something?"

"Well, you mentioned Walpurgisnacht. It's been a while, but I think... that was a German festival, named after Saint Walpurga. It basically translates to 'the night of Walpurga', if I'm not mistaken." Wait, does that mean...?!

"Dad, tell us everything you know about that!" Yeah, that could be important...

"Uh, alright... I'll try, though I can't guarantee that everything is correct. It's been some years since I last occupied myself with myths. It used to be a German festival some time ago. Supposedly the witches gathered on some mountain at the same time and danced there from dusk to dawn or something silly like that. I should have a book about it somewhere, if you need it." That... huh. I wonder if there's a connection to that festival. "So, what is this about?"

"Well, there will be... a very powerful Witch. It's coming right for Mitakihara. Maybe you should escape before it arrives, dad. There will be a quarantine because of the weather, but... just in case." I guess I'd ask the same, if there was anyone left...

"Oh, I... I see. But I have faith in both of you." I guess he couldn't forgive himself for running away. There is a real chance that we might die fighting it, I guess...

"But promise me to stay away from the battle, just stay with the others..." I'd sure hope that he remembers... for all of us. If he was running 'round outside the Familiars would probably tear him to pieces and we'd waste time and resources trying to save him.

"Of course. So, are you ready?" Sayaka just nods, I guess we're going to the museum...

...

**Sayaka's POV**

...

_Hm, did something happen last night?_ Dad's taking us to the museum in his car, so I figured I should ask Kyouko about it now. I have a bad feeling about it, but everything seems to be alright now... could it really have been nothing? She's just nibbling on a pocky, she doesn't really seem to be here...

_Huh? What do you mean?_ Kyouko... I think she's lying to me. But I can't just be mad at her, I don't even know if she's actually lying yet. Innocent until proven guilty, right?

_You've been a little bit strange. Is it about last night? Or did Homura say something? I won't be mad, you can talk to me._ Well, I'd still get mad if she stole something again, but I don't think that's it. _I'm worried about you..._

_It's just... everything. The whole situation we're in..._ She's avoiding eye contact, that's just another excuse... I don't know how, but I just know that's not all there is to it.

_Kyouko, why don't you trust me?_ Now she looks pretty shocked...

_Huh? W-what? Of course I trust ya!_ It makes me a little bit angry and it hurts... She's lying, even now.

_If that's true, why are you lying to me?_ But I'll have to try to be more understanding. Otherwise we'll just get into another fight and neither of us will be happy.

_I'm not... *Sigh* Alright, I don't want to talk 'bout it. Better?_ I knew it, so there is something...

_Better than lying, at least. But really, what is this about?_ I don't know what it is, but it's probably very important to Kyouko.

_You're talking 'bout trust, but you don't seem to trust me. That's something I have to worry 'bout on my own. So please... just let me sort these things out on my own. I'll tell you... just not right now._ *Sigh* I guess she got me there... If I don't leave her alone now she can just turn the tables on me. It's not that I don't trust her, but... Well, I will just have to trust her, I guess.

_Alright, you won... I'll leave you be, for now. If you ever feel like talking about it... well, it shouldn't be difficult to find me. You can talk to me, if you want to. I'll help you, the same way you helped me. If there's anything, anything at all... _I don't think Kyouko will open up to me, at least no more than she already did. Hm, that's probably a lot already, especially for her. She really seems to trust me... well, I'm not going to disappoint her.

_Yeah, thanks... maybe some other time. this is something I can't talk 'bout yet. Please, just give me some time to figure it out. _ Somehow she wants to talk about it... but at the same time she doesn't. I can't help her like this...

"You've been rather quiet. Did something happen?" Hm, I guess it'd look that way, from the outside.

"It's nothing." It's still bothering me a little bit... but I shouldn't let this ruin my mood. This is the first time I get to spend time with dad since... I don't even remember the last time. I guess there was my birthday, but he got a call and had to leave... Anyways, it's a nice day! Except for the weather, but that won't bother me inside of the museum. I guess it's alright, that thing with Kyouko. She also needs some privacy. Though I really want to know... Maybe I could risk a peek at her Soul- No. I'm not going to do something like that! Kyouko didn't do that to me either. That wouldn't be acceptable and I'd betray her faith in me...

"Well, if you say so... anyways, here we are." The car stops, I get out and take a look around. The museum isn't really impressive, it's a pretty small one. Though there are a lot of cars, maybe some people actually are interested in that exhibition.

"So, what is that exhibit you were talking 'bout?" Kyouko also got out, though she doesn't seem to be very excited. Well, I'm not that interested in history either, but some diversity is also nice, every now and then.

"Hm, supposedly the sarcophagus and funerary goods of a princess from Egypt." Ugh... that always makes me a little bit upset. I wouldn't want a bunch of people digging out my grave and putting my corpse out for public display in a few thousand years from now... I mean, there's no one left to care for these people, but it's still... macabre. Well, I guess that's one of the advantages of being a Magical Girl. No need to worry about funerals... "Well, shall we?" Dad takes the lead. The museum isn't exactly full, I guess a lot of those cars were there for other reasons. Still more visitors than usual, but no one I recognise.

_So, ya into history and stuff like this?_ Hm...

_Not really... but it's nice to do something with my dad, for a change._ I don't know why he's suddenly doing things like this, but I won't complain. I'm glad for this chance. At that time I didn't even say 'goodbye'...

_Hmhm, I see. That's nice. I'll get going and leave you alone. I mean, I'll stay close by, but I'll give ya some space._ That's not really...

_No, you don't have to. I'd rather you stay. I can still spend some time with dad that way, but it won't get so awkward._ I really don't know what we should talk about... and if the topics run out it would just be awkward silence. I'm glad for this opportunity, but still...

"Haha, I got the tickets for free! What a pleasant surprise." Huh?

"So, ya stole 'em?" Wha-!? Dad wouldn't do something like that! He always taught me that stealing was wrong! Besides, he just talked to the cashier.

"Hm, not quite. I just happen to be friends of the custodian of this place, I helped him with some renovations a while ago."

"You sure get around, don't you?" I never really thought about that, but dad probably gets to see tons of places. I mean, he's always out on business trips and stuff like that.

"Well, obviously. I travel through all of Japan and beyond. International economy, stock market and all those things." That all sounds way too big, at least for me... I mean, taking care of the household and school is enough to keep me busy. It's probably very stressful as well and I don't think it's worth it... "Anyways, we should get going, shouldn't we?"

"Yeah, let's go." There's still a surprising number of visitors, considering the weather. Last time I was here with my class there were like... two old people and a couple in the whole museum. Now there's almost ten people in the entrance hall alone...

"Oh, Sayaka-chan! What are you doing here?" Madoka!? This isn't a place where I'd have expected to meet her.

"Hehe, let me get a closer look!" I rush towards Madoka and start with the tickling. It's always so much fun, she reacts so nicely~

"Ah... Sayaka-chan, plea- ahaha! Please stop..." Aww, I really missed this. I couldn't really do things like this for a while, so now-

"Sayaka... I would rather have you stop this." Oh, Homura... why are those two always together lately? It's really annoying...

"And why is that? I'm just playing with a friend, nothing wrong with that." Hmpf, and here I thought we'd start getting along.

"Consider your surroundings for a change, would you?" Oh. Oh... I see what she's talking about now. Everyone is glancing at us, probably because we were so loud... oh well.

"*Sigh* Alright, alright... Though it's none of your business." I let go of Madoka, she's still the same as always. Some things never change, do they?

"Hey, Madoka. It's been quite a while, hasn't it? You've certainly grown a lot since then." Oh, I almost forgot about dad and Kyouko for a moment. Kyouko feels a little bit strange... well, it's probably nothing.

"Oh, Hiraku-kun... it's been a while, hasn't it? How were you?" Madoka sometimes met dad when she came over to play, though we didn't go to my home too often. Mum was always nagging about us being too loud or making everything dirty... so we rather played outside or went to her home. Madoka's mother is really cool, I wish my mother was more like that. *Sigh* Oh well, nothing I can do about that.

"Oh, busy as always. Though I think I'll aim for a little more free time, from now on. And this is a new friend of yours?" I'm not really sure about calling Homura a friend... but it's probably close enough. Though I wonder why dad changed so drastically... he'd never turned down work a couple of weeks ago. Maybe because of the whole Magical Girl thing? I'm happy that he wants to spend time with me now, but... it also makes me sad that this is what it took.

"My name is Akemi Homura, nice to meet you." Is Homura into ancient Egyptian stuff? That's what this exhibit seems to be about. Madoka does kind of like history, so maybe she brought Homura here? "Anyways, we were just leaving. Have a nice day." Homura practically pulls Madoka away, something is definitely strange...

"Well, that was odd." Hm, those two aren't the only strange thing. Something feels off here.

_Kyouko, is it just me or..._ I wonder if Kyouko also feels it. Then again, she seems to be more interested in her pocky... how many of those does she actually eat per day!?

_Huh? What is it?_ I guess it's just me.

_I get a pretty strange feeling from this place. But if you don't sense anything... well, it might be nothing._ I don't even know how to describe it, it just feels... odd.

_Let's take a look around, maybe there's a Witch around here._ It doesn't feel like a Witch, but maybe some Witches just feel different? I haven't really fought that many. Kyouko looks around, there are some old vases and some other things I can't even recognise. Where does it come from, that feeling...? I think it's... I just try to follow it. I hope it isn't a Witch, there are a lot of people around today. They could all be in danger. Including my dad...

_Pr-te-... -me ha-... -ng?_ Wha-!?

_Kyouko!? Was that you?!_ I wait for a moment, it didn't feel like it usually does... It couldn't be Homura, could it?

_-ayak-... someth-... -tter?_ That now was definitely Kyouko, but something is very strange around here. That voice before... but I can't understand Kyouko either.

_Kyouko, can you come to me? There's something-_ Ugh, I feel dizzy all of a sudden... it's all spinning around, I don't...

_-an't... -ou... -er-... yo-..._ I try to look around, it's all... is this a labyrinth?! It doesn't feel like it at all, but... Where am I...?

_Kyouko, please... come here._ I feel a little bit better now, though I have no idea what that was.

"Sayaka!? There you are! I was gettin' kinda worried, ya know?" That's a relief. The world isn't spinning any more, everything seems to be fine. Kyouko looks really worried... though that pocky kind of ruins the picture.

"Sorry, I couldn't understand you just now and I was feeling a little bit dizzy..." I wonder what that was all about.

"Hm? I didn't really sense anything. But I couldn't understand what you said either, so I came looking for ya. Found anything?" I guess it was just me, after all.

"Not really. I couldn't even concentrate a moment ago, but it's alright now." Maybe I just had a bit of a headache, though that probably wouldn't just end just like that. Well, it doesn't really matter, it's over now.

"Oh, there you are. You already want to see the main attraction?" Oh, dad's also here. I almost forgot about him, though this was supposed to be about us...

"Hm? What do you mean?" I look around, I'm in front of some door.

"Well, the sarcophagus is being kept down there, as well as the burial objects, according to the flyer. Some other things as well. It was probably really expensive, moving all these things... Are you alright? You look a little bit pale. You're all sweaty, do you have a fever?" Maybe it's something about that sarcophagus?

"Um, no, it's nothing. Anyways, let's go down." I push open the door and take the stairs. Kyouko is right behind me, I think she's also rather nervous... it's pretty dark down here, only the exhibits are dimly lit. I take a look around, there are all kinds of ancient items... some papyrus scrolls depicting different sceneries, some things that were supposedly tools and some other things. "So, where is that sarcophagus you mentioned?"

"Just down this hallway, I think." It's getting stronger, that uneasy feeling... maybe I'm just being nervous.

_So, what're ya expecting to find?_ I can hear Kyouko just fine now, strange.

_I don't know. Let's just go and take a look, maybe we'll find something._ Hopefully it's nothing. Hm, I think I can see it now... It's a pretty big sarcophagus, Kyouko and I could probably fit in there without a problem, if it was open. I take a closer look at it, there are some hieroglyphs on it. There's a glass partition in the way, but I can still make some of them out. Looks like a bunch of girls. They're all wearing rather strange dresses in varying colours...

"Proceed with the due respect, priestess, for the gods are watching you. Perform the ritual, as many before you have. Be happy to become the light of our people by offering yourself." Huh?

"Dad, can you read that stuff!?" I never knew dad had such amazing knowledge of history...

"Well, there's a translation right next to it..." Dad points to a board with some text on it... I should've known.

"So, what does it say?" I look at the depictions on the sarcophagus again, something about it seems strange.

"Hm, let's see... 'Priestess, bestow your light upon her and rejoice. Offer your soul to the eternal light of our country. May she rise to claim her rightful place at the side of the gods. May she restore all of Egypt to its former glory. Priestess, bestow your light upon her and rejoice. May she herald the return of the age of gods. May the long silence be answered with hymns of praise. Priestess, bestow your light upon her and rejoice.'"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I don't get it either...

"It seems to be some kind of canticle, engraved in the sarcophagus. At least that's the opinion of Eric Ronan Sullivan, the archaeologist who discovered the grave." I take a closer look at the sarcophagus again. It's a little bit hard to tell, but those girls...

_Kyouko, am I seeing things or are they offering their Soul Gems!?_ I can't tell what's happening, but it looks as if they were doing just that... If those are Soul Gems.

_Huh? What're ya... holy crap! You're right_... So this might be related to Magical Girls. By the looks of it their Soul Gems are rather tainted and something that looks like the taint is pouring into them...

"Hm, there's also something about priestesses offering valuables to the princess. That depiction seems to be rather unusual, according to Mr. Sullivan. And something about obscure depictions on the other side of the sarcophagus." I think I should take a look at that for myself.

"Dad, move aside for a moment." I take a look at the article he's been reading, what he said was right. This is apparently the sarcophagus of someone called Beketamun, a daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose III. Eighteenth dynasty...? Oh, there are some dates as well. September 15, 1454 BC-August 17, 1438 BC.

_So, ya think this is actually...?_ Well, I don't know for sure.

_Maybe. There's also a picture of the other side. I think those look like Witches, don't you?_ There's one that looks like a vague figure, tied to some kind of wheel. Another one might pass for a large crocodile, if it wasn't for the strange symbols on its scales and its size, compared to the girls. Also some fearful men and women, they all look so small...

_Now that ya mention it... Could be. No idea what Witches looked like some thousand years ago. Maybe like that?_ Yeah, that's what I thought.

"Is something the matter? You seem to be really into this, all of a sudden." Oh, dad's also still here... I guess I'll have to do something with him some other time. Right now we have to focus on this.

"Um, I just think it's very interesting, right?" _Kyouko, we'll come back later... when no one else is around_. I want to look at this again, in detail. Without having to worry about other people...

"What? I mean... yeah, of course. It's pretty amazing..." _You suggesting that we sneak in? Never expected something like that... but hey, why not? Sounds like fun. _I don't think there's any other way...

_I rather wouldn't... but it can't be helped. If there's a Witch in that thing we'll have take care of it. There are a lot of people and they could end up inside of the labyrinth. We might startle the Witch if we attack it right now, so let's come back later._ In the worst case we'll break in for nothing, but that's better than risking lives.

"Well, let's go back up. I've seen enough of this." I don't want to worry dad, so it might be better to just leave.

_-ess... -lled me? Ha-... -ime -me?_ Huh?! That voice again!?

_Kyouko, did you say something?_ She just gives me a confused look...

_No, I didn't. What's wrong? Hearin' voices or what?_ If only I knew...

_Sorry, it's nothing._ We can get to the bottom of this later. For now I just want to get out of here and rest a little bit.

...

**Homura's POV**

...

"Well? What are you going to do now, Akemi Homura?" If only I knew... Madoka didn't seem to notice anything, but Sayaka's behaviour was strange. Well, stranger than usual. She seemed to stagger to that place. I brought Madoka home already, now I'm weighing my options...

"That's none of your business, Incubator. Don't think I trust you, I know better." Sayaka... Why does she always have to cause so much trouble for me?

"Of course it's my business. That Witch would be unlike anything you have ever faced. As I mentioned before, we want Madoka to be safe until she's made her wish. It would be a shame to waste so much potential." It isn't much of a help, as always. Those depictions in the museum... it looked as if the Soul Gems of those girls were being tainted. I will have to take a look at it again, later tonight.

"Then take care of it yourself or tell me something useful. You must have known that girl, right?" Assuming that Magical Girls worked the same way back then...

"Yes, we did grant her wish. But we didn't concern ourselves with her after she was buried. By the looks of it she was still alive and a Magical Girl when she was placed in the sarcophagus. There's a barrier preventing her from escaping, for the time being. But if someone got close enough to it, especially a Magical Girl..." Hm, I see. I'd best keep a safe distance.

"And what should I do about this? How strong is that Witch?" I rather wouldn't fight it, if I can help it... but I might have to.

"Well, I don't know. It's impossible to tell from the outside, the barrier interferes with our readings. I can only speculate, but it's probably even stronger than Walpurgisnacht. The strength of a Witch is determined by the amount of hope a Magical Girl had before succumbing to despair. And that girl... she carried the hope and despair of a nation on her shoulders. Walpurgisnacht is certainly very strong, but it doesn't compare to this. You have no hopes of defeating it. It could crush Madoka, even if she became a Magical Girl."

"That powerful?" It's being rather vague, as always. But if that's true... I can't let that Witch get out of there, no matter what.

"I don't know if you ever faced anything like this, but it's safe to assume that you'd die if you engaged it. I don't know if Madoka and those two could defeat it, but you wouldn't even be able to scratch it. Defeating it is out of the question, at least for you." Those two...?

"Are you talking... about Kyouko and Sayaka?"

"Indeed. Both of them were stronger than you on their own, but together... I'm curious about what they can accomplish. And what happens to them afterwards. Will they die? I hope that they will turn into Witches, that way we can harness their energy and observe what happens. Will both of them turn into Witches or only one? If so, what would happen to the remaining one?" Sickening... I don't exactly like them, but I wouldn't wish that on a snake.

"Kyouko is very determined and she will protect that girl, no matter what. Regardless of what happens, I'm sure that they'll pull through. Besides, what makes you think that I'm weaker than they are?" I wish them happiness as well. A world where all of us could be happy...

"That's not true. You know that they will fall sooner or later, right? That love you were talking about... It cuts both ways, as you humans say. Their current condition is fragile and it wouldn't take much to break it. You should know that best, shouldn't you? That and her sense of justice are part of the reason why Miki Sayaka always succumbs to despair, after all. If you are right about that. Your skills would let you win a fight against them, but you lack the potential they have. Their strength and endurance are superior to yours." I don't think they are any stronger than I am... but what did it mean by that?

"'Part of the reason'? What else is there?" I don't think I'll be able to prevent it in other timelines, if this one fails... but it's still worth a try.

"You don't have to concern yourself with that. It's not impor-" *BANG* That should take care of it, at least for now. If it's not going to answer my questions I might as well get rid of it. But what should my next steps be? Should I make the museum collapse? That would probably be the most efficient solution. That way no one should get close to the sarcophagus until Walpurgisnacht is taken care of. I will need quite a lot of explosives...

Maybe I should inform Kyouko? Well, it's probably too late for that already. Besides, I rather wouldn't get them involved, Sayaka has a habit of messing my plans up. I will need their help against Walpurgisnacht, but that's it. The less they know the better. Otherwise they'd probably just end up taking a look for themselves and who knows what they might unleash. If Incubator is right... I'd rather not think about that.

I should be able to get everything done tonight. I will have to acquire the explosives, that will take some time... and I should get myself some other weapons as well, just in case. I'll probably be able to get both at the same time, so it's not as if I'd have to go out of my way to gather them. Maybe some medicine as well, strong pain medication can make a great difference while fighting Witches.

"As I said, you could just as well tell me to leave." *Sigh*

"Apparently you didn't get the hint. Do you need another one?" If only that would help...

"We could play this game all day, but it wouldn't benefit either of us. We should rather come up with a plan." A plan, it says...

"Why don't you just take care of it yourself? If you are able to fulfil wishes that would surely be an easy task?" I was wondering about that before, but...

"That is impossible. Since Eunomia's treaty we were unable to directly influence this world by means other than communication or granting your wishes. Otherwise we certainly would do just that." Eu- what?

"Explain this." I never really thought to ask Incubator about such things, but... it could be helpful to know about those things. Assuming that it is telling the truth...

"A long time ago we frequently intervened with your development. In a way we still do, through granting your wishes. But at that time we created environments best suited for harvesting human magic. We assumed that humanity would be easy to dominate and cultivate however we please. That, however, proved to be a fatal fallacy." Hm.

"So, what happened to force you into a treaty? Your weaponry was surely advanced beyond anything the humans of that time had, or even the technology of modern humans." Is it saying that humans can defeat it? That would be...

"We gave humans speech and other similar means to communicate. That way they were able to easily share their thoughts and feelings with other humans. Thus they were able to forge stronger emotions through these bonds. Stronger emotions equal stronger magic, thus the magic we could harvest increased. Everything was going well for a while. We influenced them and could always crush their opposition or pit different human tribes against each other. They were no danger to us, or so we thought." Hm, I see.

"And how did it go wrong?"

"We didn't take the gods and human magic into account. Human magic is something that requires decades to master, though we developed a way to speed it up. The results are Magical Girls, such as yourself. You live short lives because we force your magic to manifest itself immediately. Someone learning magic the hard way will have to study it for many years to get even the smallest results, so it's a fair deal, in our opinion." Well, that's arguable...

"And what about these 'gods'?" I don't believe in such things, but I want to hear what it has to say.

"We assumed that gods were simply superstition, and they mostly were. There were some smaller nature spirits they saw as gods, but that was of no consequence. However... gods were beings beyond our understanding. Language enabled humans to share their thoughts, thus they were able to agree on certain attributes of gods. Human faith can bring forth very strong emotions within them. Through language they shared their thoughts on the matter and they were able to create a focus for these emotions, the gods. Before language their emotions were non-directional, everyone was believing in his own little world of believe." That sounds plausible, I suppose. Well, magic certainly exists and it seems to come from emotions.

"In other words, gods are just an accumulation of human emotions and magic?" It's a pretty simple concept.

"In their infancy, so to speak. They are an idea a lot of humans share, something they feel about strongly. In many cases they were ascended humans, ideals passed down through generations. However, they develop their own character as well and eventually become autonomous beings. They grow far beyond anything a number of humans, or even a society, would be capable of. There was no proof of their existence, so we weren't concerned and let their religions grow. They created strong emotions in humans, so we thought that it would benefit us." Gods... what strange thoughts. Then again, Incubator wouldn't gain anything by giving me false information.

"But they weren't and your arrogance became your undoing, I assume?" That's how these stories usually go, after all.

"It wasn't arrogance, it was false information. In time the gods and human magicians joined forces and attacked our forces on this planet. We weren't prepared for their power, the very elements seemed to turn against us. We send reinforcements, but it didn't accomplish anything. They utterly destroyed our forces, we were unable to do anything against them. We lost. The gods argued about what they should do with us and the conclusion was Eunomia's treaty. Eunomia was a Greek goddess of law and justice. She and her sisters, as well as some other gods, developed the treaty with representatives of our kind." A power greater than Incubator... if only I could obtain such power!

"How can you summon these gods? They'd surely be able to destroy something like Walpurgisnacht! If they were capable of defeating advanced creatures like you that shouldn't be a problem, right?" I'm not exactly faithful, but if there is a way...!

"That is impossible. The gods have left. Humanity has abandoned them in favour of monotheistic gods. These gods should be far stronger, in theory..." I sense a 'but'...

"So, where is the catch?" Why can't it ever be simple...

"The old gods served as focuses for human emotions. These new gods are far too broadly defined to accomplish much of anything. There are all sorts of emotions and thoughts mixed up inside of them. Hope, devotion, despair and anger... all of these things are mixed into a single self-contradiction. Not intentionally, they tried to focus all of the positive emotions. But they are a target for all emotions of their believers, they lack a counterweight. In the old times humans had gods with different attributes, some positive, others negative. they would ask a god suited for the task and get upset with the appropriate gods or try to appease them. You would go to a temple and offer them gifts they enjoyed, you'd offer them your services... and they might heed you. But those days are long gone. Humanity has lost faith and focus." Damn!

"In other words, they are completely useless to me." Great, just great...

"Indeed. You could try praying, but I doubt it would accomplish much. The gods no longer walk this earth, though even we could only speculate where they are. You probably wouldn't qualify as someone worthy of being heeded either way." Useless, all of it...

"What exactly are the conditions of that treaty?"

"The conditions? The most basic version would be that we are unable to simply force someone into a contract or use anything but information to influence possible candidates. Granting wishes that would completely violate the natural laws of the universe is prohibited. Though most wouldn't be strong enough to do that either way. Your power, for example, is not a major violation. An example would be disabling or manipulating gravity on a large scale. It's also our task to keep your existence a secret." Well, that doesn't really help me...

"It doesn't sound like much of a treaty. Rather an order, wouldn't you agree?"

"We still get to create a small amount of Magical Girls to support our projects to suppress entropy. Other than that you are right, for the most part. The last condition of interest to you was that we serve as guides for the Magical Girls we create." Guides? Don't make me laugh...

"You hardly told us anything before we made a contract. Even afterwards you hardly ever told us anything. Isn't that in violation of your treaty?"

"Of course not. We answer any questions you ask. We would even let you take a look at a translated version of the treaty. Though you would be the 27th Magical Girl in history that finished reading it, should you decide to do that." Only 26 others? That's a suspiciously low number...

"Why don't you simply give each Magical Girl a copy of that thing before you let us enter a contract?" That would be far more reasonable.

"The complete contract would be thicker than any series of books known to mankind and is far too complex to understand or to translate. Two out of the 26 Magical Girls managed to get a vague understanding of it. We could give it to you, but you wouldn't be able to understand it." *Sigh* Yet another useless thing...

"What about Witches? Why didn't you inform us about their nature?" That was something that was bothering me for a long time...

"Witches aren't part of the treaty. The gods wanted to take care of these monsters themselves. A lot of these gods, embodiments of different values, were caught up in an eternal struggle with negative counterparts. Magical Girls could ask the gods for hope and power while they could focus their negative emotions on these creatures. In a way not much has changed, though Magical Girls themselves usually didn't into Witches, at that time. In other words, that never was our duty." I think I might as well give it up, nothing seems to come out of this...

"In other words, there's nothing I could use to help me, correct?"

"Indeed." So much wasted time... Well, whatever. I have a Witch I need to neutralise, so I'd best get ready for it.

...

**Author's note**: Sorry for the late update. We'd like to say that the next one will come sooner, but we always try that and always fail... Anyways, it'd be nice if you could leave a review or something to let us know whether such talks with Kyubey and a little bit of back-story (Like the discussion between Homura and Kyubey around the end) should be included or if you don't really care 'bout that. And next time should be time for some action! Um, maybe. :3


	11. Too late

**Kyouko's POV**

...

"So, what exactly was wrong, back there?" Sayaka really gave me a scare... she was pretty out of it the whole time. Her dad also noticed it, but he had something to take care of and left. I guess they got to spend some time together, that should be enough.

"You mean, in the museum? I don't know. I just felt like I was having a headache or something like that." She doesn't want to tell me... but I'm not really in some position to make her. I wouldn't tell her about this morning, so she'd just hold that against me. I can't tell her 'bout that, so there's not much of a point...

"If you say so... anyways, what are ya gonna do now? We've got a lot of time left, right?" Sayaka wants to return at night, though I'm still not too sure... I mean, it'd be better to leave it alone. But if it's a Witch it might drop a Grief Seed...

"I want to take a nap, for now. I don't want to be tired later on. You can do whatever you want to. Go play some games, make yourself something to eat, whatever you feel like." Hm. I do feel kinda hungry...

"Wait a sec... you ain't cooking today!?" That sucks...

"Not now... *Sigh* Besides, you don't really need anything, after all that pocky you had. Right?" Well, that kinda implies that she'll do it later, so it should be fine.

"I'll live. Sleep well and make me something delicious later on, alright~?" I'll just have to make myself some ramen or something. Not really a problem.

"You should learn how to cook." Huh?

"That came outta nowhere..." I never really had to. I mean, we didn't have much to cook back then... and I just didn't feel like it anyways.

"Hey, I'm not going to cook for all of us every day! So, you will have to learn how to cook." *Sigh* I'd just be contend with Sayaka doing the cooking...

"I can take care of some other things, right? Then you can't complain 'bout it." I guess I'll just have to get used to it... though it's still a pain.

"You should still learn how to do it. But now that we're talking about housekeeping... weren't you supposed to do clean up after meals? What happened to that?" What is she- oh, that bet. I guess she's right...

"Yeah, sorry. I guess we kinda forgot 'bout that." Just because she had to... well, it's not really her fault, but still...

"Both of us, there was a lot going on... but don't worry, I'll remind you next time. Well, I'll go now." That kinda sucks... but I did make a promise. All because of... No, bad thoughts! Lately we've been picking up more of each other's thoughts, so stuff like that is really dangerous! I'll just... go and look for some ramen. Should be in the kitchen. Yup, sure enough. Now a pot, some water... and put all of that on the stove.

It's gonna happen soon, right? Walpurgisnacht... I guess that's when all of this will be decided. Shit's gonna get real... I'll just have to give it my all and make sure there's nothing left to regret. And if the fight ain't going so great... I'll tell her. That would suck, but there's nothing I could do 'bout it. That way I won't have to regret that either. So there's really nothing left to do, other than that. *Sigh* I'll just have to wait a little while longer.

This heavy atmosphere is really annoying. Feels like nothing light-hearted and fun would be allowed. As if I'd have to think 'bout all these important and depressing issues right now 'cause I might die in a couple of days. I should be playing games and eat all I want, but somehow... that's all her fault. If she didn't decide to butt in and turn my life upside down... Well, it's my fault for ending up caring. So it's all Kyubey's fault for telling me the city would be free and Mami's for dying 'cause of being so stupid. That stupid airhead...

Looks like lunch is ready. Not really my first choice, but it sure beats nothing. Anyways, that idiot... haven't seen her in a couple of years and that's what she ends up doing. Told her it'd be stupid, pulling others into that mess. But there she goes, talking 'bout being a protector of justice and crap like that. She didn't even mean it, pretentious little... *Sigh* If only I could think that way. Yeah, she was a real bitch, 'round the end, but still...

So that's how it ended between us, huh? She was trying to kill me and I was telling her to fuck off. Kinda pisses me off, there's tons of stuff I still wanted to yell at her for! But I always ended up postponing it and now it's too late. Homura does have a point, I guess. Hit me out of nowhere, Mami dying. Especially how Kyubey just mentioned it. 'By the way, Mitakihara is free now.' Stupid little critter...

Though I got Sayaka now. Not really sure if it was worth it... haha, who am I kidding? That's gotta be the best thing that's happened to me in years! Now I have a roof over my head, no need to worry 'bout food and something worth fighting for. A home... and Sayaka, of course. That's right, now I'll definitely give it my all! I didn't really fight Witches with everything I've got in a while, there were times when I didn't even want to win... but that's all over now!

That's right, there's something bright in all of this. Something to make me move on. I feel alive, for real. I'm not just vegetating, I'm actually living~ I didn't even realise it, but I really didn't give a shit 'bout anything. This world, the people, myself... to hell with all of it. I didn't have anywhere to go, so I always came back to that time and I ran away again. I thought I was being free, but I was just like a scared little girl, acting tough...

I think I'm a lot stronger now. I feel as if I could confront those things. Maybe not right now, but in the future. I was so scared on my own... but Sayaka is really starting to rub off on me. Can't tell if it's courage or stupidity, but that's how I feel. Not that there was much of anything left to confront... but I think I'll go and visit the graveyard, sometime. Take a look at how it is, for the first time ever. *Sigh* Mum must be totally disappointed that I didn't come to visit sooner, just like Momo... I have a lot to tell them.

Oh well, I guess I'll go and lie down for a bit as well. It's gonna be a long night and we might have to fight a Witch, so I'd best be on top of my game as well. I push open the door and sneak in, Sayaka already seems to be fast asleep. She looks so peaceful, so different from her usual self. I don't mind it, I think I actually like it better when she's quiet, sometimes. Talking 'bout stupid things like Mami and other stuff she doesn't know anything 'bout...

She also looks so vulnerable, yet she's the same girl who won't hesitate to charge at Witches and get hurt for the sake of others, for my sake... *Sigh* I get changed as well and sit down next to her. She really should be more selfish. Or rather, she should stop for a sec and think about herself. But she doesn't even seem to notice how important she is to others. She just goes on 'bout justice and gets hurt. Idiot...

I put my hand down on her hair, it's so soft and it has such a bright blue colour... I just stroke her hair for a little while, she doesn't seem to mind it. What do I think of her? Is she like... a sister? A little bit like Momo? Or maybe more like mum? It's not really the same... maybe it's just friendship, I've never had friends. Well, I guess there was Mami, though it wasn't like this either. Maybe I do like her that way, after all...

Just a little while longer and I can tell her, regardless of what happens. If we defeat Walpurgisnacht, great, no problem. If we don't... there's really nothing left to worry 'bout. We'd die or become Witches, but we'd do it together. I guess that'd still be better than being all alone, right? Destroying this world together... hehe, I'm pretty sure we could do that, together. Though we'd probably still bicker and fight all of the time. If Witches can even do stuff like that...

I take out our Soul Gem, it's still pretty bright. But I guess it's 'bout time to use a Grief Seed, better too early than too late. I take one out the drawer, still three left. One from the Witch that other day, the one Sayaka tossed me back then and another one I still had from Kazamino. I've always tried gathering more, but sometimes Witches just don't appear and Soul Gems don't clean themselves. It's pretty much the same as hunting, sometimes there are tons of 'em, sometimes you can't find any. I've got no idea how Mami lasted that long, killing all of those Familiars. Well, Mitakihara is a pretty good hunting ground.

Looks pretty good now. Sayaka's half is taking a little bit longer, but it's working. Actually looks as if it was going from her side to mine and then into the Grief Seed... but who cares, as long as it's working. The Grief Seed can still be used, though it might not be enough for a full recovery. I put the Grief Seeds back, it'd be bad if we lost one or it'd end up with her dad. I take another look at our Soul Gem, it's so beautiful...

It's shining brightly now, much brighter than the dim light outside. The purple line has grown a little bit, but I'm not really worried 'bout it, at least not yet. That's still very little and I didn't notice much of a change either. I mean, it's getting easier to communicate without Kyubey and we still sometimes do it unintentionally, but we're getting there. 'sides, it might be a good thing that it can't listen to us talking. Sayaka's moving around a little bit, maybe she's dreaming? I wonder what she's thinking 'bout right now...

Maybe I could try to take a look~? Though I don't really know how; I just focus on our Soul Gem, Sayaka's side is completely calm right now. Such a bright blue... I can feel some emotions, it's really nice. Those aren't scary things, it feels pretty pleasant. I focus on it some more... now I can see some pictures, though it's all out of context. Some of her friends at school, something about that hospital...

I'm kinda amazed, it actually seems to be working. I wonder how far I could get... then again, it'd probably piss Sayaka off, if she found out. It's kinda intrusive, looking into her soul without asking. Well, just a little more... I lie down next to her, she's still fast asleep. I wonder what Sayaka's soul looks like. I mean, what does it look like inside of a soul in general? A lot of people talk 'bout it, but no one knows what that 'soul' thing is. Magical Girls supposedly have physical souls, but that ain't helping my curiosity. Just a little further...

...

Huh? Something's strange here... where is this? I was just thinking 'bout Sayaka, but now... this place is completely different. It looks like a music store, kinda. Tons of CDs, some instruments as well. Posters of that wimp... where is this? I just look around a little bit, but it doesn't seem to end. I can hear some music playing as well, is that... Ave Maria? Dad used to play it, back in the days. Though he used the organ, not some string instrument.

There are all sorts of different CDs here. Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi... I think those are classical musicians, aren't they? I can't even read some of the labels, they're all weird and blurred out. What a strange place... It reminds me of something, though I can't tell what it is. Where is that music coming from? I don't see a CD-player or speakers around. No one else either, it's kinda creepy... I'll just try to find the source of that music.

I don't really get it, how did I end up here? I was just thinking 'bout Sayaka and playing 'round with our Soul Gem. The environment changes, now it's all white... maybe it's that hospital. I was never inside of a hospital, but I saw this one while following Sayaka. Just what the hell's going one here!? I can still hear that music, it just seems to loop over and over. It's getting kinda annoying, after a while.

Now I'm sure something's wrong, everything is blurred out, even the straight hallway in front of me. It's getting really crooked, the doors are disappearing, the colours are changing... the hell's going on here!? It's starting to remind me of a- No, I'm not going there. That can't be true, after all. I just used a Grief Seed, so that's just not possible. Maybe I'm just having some really weird dream. Yeah, that has to be it...

"Sayaka? Hey, SAYAKAAA! Where are ya!?" She has to be somewhere around. I can't find our Soul Gem or reach out for her... I never thought I'd be alone again, but there's nothing else here... Sayaka... Where is she?! "C'mon, I'm sorry if I did something wrong. Just... come back to me... please!" It's getting so dark... I'm scared, I'm really scared... I don't want to be alone again! Just... someone, anyone...

The hallway is completely gone now, there's absolute darkness. I can't see anything... I try turning back, but it's all gone... I can't even tell where the ground or the ceiling are at... Please, Sayaka, don't leave me in the lurch! I'm trying to walk 'round again, but I'm just not getting anywhere. The music is the only thing left, it's getting louder and louder... it doesn't really sound like Ave Maria anymore, it's all wrong and messed up.

Wait, did I just see something!? I can't even see my own body, but I'm sure I just saw something blue! Maybe it was Sayaka... I start running, though I can't see it any longer. I'm just running and running... I think there's some light ahead. It's a weak blue at first, but it's getting brighter and brighter. Sayaka, Sayaka, Sayaka... please, let her be there. I really don't want to lose her, anything but that...!

Now it's almost dazzling, I can't see what's ahead of me... I try blinking a few times, my eyes are slowly adjusting. It looks like... a concert hall? The colours are pretty strange and it's mostly empty. The music is almost unbearable now. It sounds like music gone wrong or something, this is just... there are some shady figures in the distance, I think they're the ones playing. I'll just have to make them stop, I guess. There's also a stage in the middle, that's...

Wait a sec... this is exactly like back then! The music, the weird figures... the mermaid knight in the middle. I'm in a labyrinth, and this is...! That can't be right, it just can't! It's impossible, our Soul Gem was fine! There's no way Sayaka turned into a Witch! How could this be!? The hell's goin' one here?! "SAYAKA! C'mon, you've gotta be somewhere around here!" The Witch finally seems to notice me, it doesn't seem to be happy...

Those wheels again! I don't know how, but I managed to dodge them... it's a lot harder now, I somehow can't use my powers! What the hell should I do!? I don't stand a chance like this... and I don't want to fight it either. I mean... it's useless. If that's really Sayaka... I'm already dead or a Witch myself, right? It's lifting its sword and screaming, it almost sounds like Sayaka's voice, though really twisted. There's no way I could dodge that one, I'm- ***CRASH***

...

*Pant* *Pant* The... the hell!? I was just 'bout to die, then I suddenly... I'm back. I thought I was a goner for sure... was it just a nightmare? Sayaka seems to be a little bit troubled as well, though she's still asleep. Our Soul Gem is still clean and Sayaka's still alive, so... I don't get it. I mean, I don't think it was nothing, that wasn't just an ordinary nightmare. You can't tell it's a dream while it's happening. But what else could it have been...?

"Nnh... Kyouko...?" I guess she woke up as well.

"Mornin'. How are ya?" She looks a little bit confused, I wonder if she noticed anything... Maybe she noticed something as well.

"I'm not feeling that great... I think I'll go back to sleep." She just rolls over, I guess she didn't notice much of anything. Though it might have affected her as well, she was fine before all of that happened. *Poke* She isn't even reacting. Maybe she really doesn't feel anything... *Poke* Her back's so soft and warm. *Poke* Still no reaction. It's kinda boring, just lying 'round and doing nothing. Sayaka seems to have calmed down again, she's probably asleep already. No idea how she managed to do that so fast...

_Hey, Kyubey. You're there, aren't you?_ I call out in my mind, I don't want to disturb Sayaka. Of course it's somewhere 'round here... it slowly comes out from behind a bookshelf.

_Well, obviously. What is it?_ Maybe it noticed something or could explain that.

_Explain that whole thing with Magical Girls and Witches to me again. In detail, don't ya dare leaving important stuff out! _I need to go over all of this again. It's already dark outside, I guess I was away longer than I thought...

_It isn't that complicated, is it? Magical Girls are born when they enter a contract. They offer their whole life and their soul in exchange for a single wish, as you know. They eventually expire, despair overcomes them as they realise the futility of their wish, of their hope. That's when they turn into Witches. At least that's what we assume, we have no way of comprehending it._ That's not really helping... Something is missing.

_What are Witches? I know they're all different, but there have to be things they all have in common, right?_ I never really thought 'bout it before. Witches are evil, they have to be killed. You've got to kill 'em for Grief Seeds, just destroy every last one. But is that all? Kyubey actually never said that, to be honest. It's just the conclusion it made us draw.

_I said so before, Magical Girls are immature Witches. Let me explain it in a way you might understand. Normal girls are caterpillars, Magical Girls are cocoons and Witches are butterflies. Magical Girls are just an intermediary phase. Forget about the food chain for this instance, Magical Girls hunting Witches or the other way around, just think of it as the evolutionary state of the individuals._ So, it's saying...

_You're basically telling me a Witch is growing inside of me, right now!?_ That's just...! I knew it might happen, eventually, but is it saying...!?

_Indeed. It's a gradual change. The second you enter a contract... you basically become a Witch. The current 'you' is nothing, just a superficial shell. You grow stronger and it feeds on your emotions, specifically the negative ones. Grief Seeds delay the transformation, but it's still an inevitable process. And once a certain point is reached the Witch will break through the shell. Think of it like your true self. You are the egg and the Witch is the chicken._ That stupid...!

_That's not true! Witches completely disregard anything the Magical Girls wanted, they destroy it! Sayaka would never want to hurt others!_ Well, there were some people she did want to hurt, I guess... but she meant well. She'd never just attack random strangers!

_That's not how it is. To take the example of Miki Sayaka and her justice... her values are something most human beings couldn't possibly live up to. As a Magical Girl she simply suppresses her desire to force others into following her rules. Her Witch would see this world and not find a single worthy person. Whether it's a small crime or a great one, all humans 'sin'. That's what humans think, right? So, it wouldn't contradict her nature to kill humans. Not to mention that she can't even live up to them herself._ That's simply a lie!

_That way she'd completely disregard her feelings! She thought of me as a bad person, through and through, but she took the time to try and understand me! She listened to me, even if she didn't like what I had to say! She wanted to let that bitch die, but she didn't! She didn't want to kill anyone. So that can't be true._ It has to be a lie, everything that thing says...

_Her initial reaction was attacking you. Regardless of that, justice is only one thing. A Magical Girl is too complex to be described like that. Besides, I think that her disappointments with love was stronger than her feelings about justice. Her wish didn't come from her desire for justice, it came from her desire to be loved. I could only speculate, since Witches don't communicate, but she would probably disregard everything else. Those feelings are just a facade, aren't they? They'd no longer hold her back, if she became a Witch._ I... don't know. I think she does believe in all of those things.

_You're not telling me everything, are you? You're holding something back. I warn you..._ I materialise my spear and point it at Kyubey.

_Well, there are different theories. We don't know emotions, so we can only speculate about the feelings of a Magical Girl. We assume that Witches are an ascended form of Magical Girls, but there isn't enough evidence for any of these theories. _So, there are other theories. Maybe those would be of more help to me. I put my spear away again, it doesn't really help either way...

_Just tell me._

_Well, some assumed that Witches are evil spirits, originating from some other plane of existence and possessing Magical Girls. That seems to be highly unlikely, there's a direct connection between events in the environment of Magical Girls and the darkness in their Soul Gems. Some think that Witches are some sort of divine messengers, heralding the end of the world. But Witches existed for thousands of years and the world still exists._

_Great, any 'theories' that aren't wacky garbage?_ Probably not much of a help, all of this...

_Well, some Magical Girls came up with a more likely theory, we assume. Lady Messela said that Witches are a defensive reaction of the souls of Magical Girls. If there is too much negative energy in their soul and they can no longer handle it they simply 'swap places' with the Witch. She assumed that Witches are split off parts of their personality and can substitute for the actual soul. She described them as fortresses for the soul, though she also called them a 'trap'._ That... might make some kinda sense.

_So, they're just shutting themselves away and let the Witches take over? Is that what you're saying?_ Maybe... Witches aren't actually that bad? I mean... I can understand that, somewhat. I don't know how I managed to survive after that stuff with my family happened; but others probably wouldn't be able to do that. So, just locking yourself away and letting someone else deal with it... that might make sense.

_We aren't making any claims. That was a theory by a Magical Girl. We don't know whether it's true or not. It seems comparatively likely, but it's just a theory and we have no way of confirming or rejecting it. She was probably the most intelligent one of your kind, even we couldn't always keep up with her. But that doesn't mean she was always right._ Well, it kinda makes sense... _Why are you asking all of that now?_

_No reason, just wanted to review it._ I'm not gonna tell Kyubey 'bout anything from now on. He ain't our ally, I'm sure of that. I shouldn't mention that in front of Sayaka either, I don't think she'd react very well...

_Anything else you wish to review?_ Hm. I don't really know..

_Anything 'bout that girl? At the museum? She made a contract with ya, right?_ That's how it works, but maybe there're other ways? Well, who cares.

_She did make a wish, but now she's a Witch. You are going to fight it, aren't you? Otherwise it might break out once Walpurgisnacht arrives._ It's not as if we had too much of a choice... Sayaka would wanna kill it either way and we can't really afford something on top of Walpurgisnacht.

_Sayaka wants to take a look at it tonight, so we're probably gonna kill it. Anyways, go away already. I'm sick of your nonsense._ It can't ever give a straight answer, can it? You've gotta worm everything out of it...

_Very well._ It goes away, at least it listens to what I have to say. I almost feel more tired than before lying down again... *Sigh* At least Sayaka seems to be alright. Her Soul Gem looks fine, though a little bit darker already... Oh well, we have enough Grief Seeds, for the time being. Come to think of Sayaka... she's still sleeping, I think it's time to get up. *Poke* That's still fun. *Poke* She really doesn't seem to feel it...

I slowly turn her around, now she's lying on her back. I bet I could play puppeteer with her if I had some strings. I lift her hand up, it's so warm... and let it fall. Still no reaction. That's no fun... I move the blue flicks of hair out of her face, she's completely calm again. She's so beautiful, I could see her as some princess in a fairy tale... *Poke* I move her cheeks a little bit, nothing at all. Maybe I could just...

...

**Homura's POV**

...

"Kyubey." I call it out, this time I might actually need it.

"You called?" It always manifests out of thin air, apparently... Well, at least I don't have to wait for it to appear.

"What about those two? They were at the museum earlier." That isn't good, not at all... I wanted to detonate the whole museum tonight, but after seeing them there...

"They? We don't know what they did there, but they probably want to challenge the Witch." As I thought... those idiots.

"And what would happen, if they were to attack it somehow?" Maybe I should just call them.

"Well, they would most likely lose. In terms of potential they could defeat it, but they lack experience. They don't know how to use their current condition to their advantage. Afterwards the Witch would be free and could do what Witches usually do, just with far more power." I get out my phone and put in their number. *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* ... Nothing. I guess they won't answer. Well, maybe I should just go ahead and detonate the building, afterwards I won't have to worry about it.

"Very well... I will be on my way." The sooner I get it done the sooner I can stop worrying about it. And if they somehow get in my way again...

"Take care..."

...

**Sayaka's POV**

...

*Yaaawn* Somehow I don't feel relaxed at all... I didn't sleep very well. I feel as if I had a nightmare of sorts, though I don't remember it. Something about Kyouko, but that's all I remember. I stretch my back a little bit and sit up. It's completely dark outside, maybe it's about time. Kyouko is lying next to me, her back is turned towards me. "Hey, Kyouko. It's time to get up, we'll probably have to go soon."

"Um, y-yeah, you're right... let's get goin'." She's also behaving strange... Hm. Maybe she was affected by that nightmare as well? Or maybe she had a nightmare and I somehow experienced it as well? Not that it matters, it's still just a nightmare. I feel somewhat rusty, but there's no helping it... if there is a Witch we'll have to defeat it. Anything else would just be reckless. I take a look at the clock, 11:23 p.m., that's more than enough.

"Is something wrong? You're acting a little bit strange."

"I-it's nothing! Nothing at all!" I guess it wasn't her nightmare, it's different from last time. She rather seems to be... embarrassed? Hm...

"It doesn't sound like nothing. Come on, you can tell me~" I try to move her around, but she just jerks her shoulder out of my grasp...

"I said it's nothing!" Hmpf, I'll get her! I try again, this time a little bit stronger. I almost have to lift her up, but it's working. Wow, she's pretty red... and I'm not just talking about her hair. I wonder what she was thinking about... Well, it's none of my business. Maybe it's about that person she likes? Right now I don't even know who that person would be, but there's probably someone. Maybe she got to know someone while she was living on her own?

"Hey, it's not as if I'd tell anyone. Not that it matters much to you. Is it about the same thing as before? You know, when you didn't want to tell me?" Then again, she never did sneak out while she was here, she couldn't have. And she never asked me to go anywhere either... maybe she had a fight with that person? Or maybe she's just embarrassed and doesn't want to tell me? That's really weird, she usually isn't embarrassed about anything.

"I don't care if you'd tell anyone or not! I'm not telling ya, so stop it already!" So it was about that person. Well, I guess that'll be a future job for Detective Sayaka-chan~! I'll just have to piece it together on my own, I should probably pay more attention to her behaviour from now on. Someone she had a lot of contact with...

"Wait, wait a second! It couldn't be... Homura!?" That's... Kyouko looks really surprised for a moment, did I...

"Homura? What 'bout her?" So she's playing dumb...

"You're in love with Homura! So that's why you always hung out with her! Huh, the more you know. You could've just told me, you know? I'd give you all the time you need~" She just gives me an incredulous look.

"... What the heck? Did that thing in the labyrinth shoot ya in the head or somethin'?! Homura? Yeah, sure thing..." Well, I guess that wasn't it. Though I think I've gotten a little bit closer... Well, I'll find out eventually.

"Alright, alright, let's go already. Just tell me some other time, be that way..." There have been some things we've been arguing about lately... but it's not that bad. It's nothing really serious, I guess. I'm just teasing Kyouko a little bit every now and then, and she snaps back. I'm glad that we can just be together like this. Everything is settled, I think I really don't have any regrets now. Even if Walpurgisnacht was to kill us, I wouldn't regret anything.

"Geez, what's it with those gloomy thoughts? We're gonna beat Walpurgisnacht and live happily ever after or something. So stop having depressing thoughts 'bout it, yeah?" Huh? I guess Kyouko heard a bit of that...

"I'm not really depressed or gloomy. I just thought... even if we were to lose, I have nothing left to regret. To be honest, I really... I wanted to settle everything between us. That was bothering me the whole time, I felt as if there was something left to do, before I could go. I never got around to it before you rescued me, but I think that was it. I feel as if everything was resolved now. Regardless of the outcome, I will be happy." That's honestly how I feel. I feel so much lighter now, ever since all of this started...

"Tch, as if! Don't go 'round saying stupid nonsense like that! Ya think that was everything? C'mon, get real! We're gonna kick that Walpurgisnacht's ass and then we'll have a real talk! I won't hold back, I'm gonna throw it all at ya. So, you'd better stay alive until everything is settled. Promise me?" Maybe Kyouko still has some things left to say. *Sigh* Well, I wouldn't regret anything... but I can't just leave Kyouko with her regrets, can I?

"Fine... I'll live to hear what you have to say. I was going to do that either way. I just wanted to tell you how I felt about the whole thing. Maybe the situation isn't looking too good, but I'm happier than ever. Even if I could, I wouldn't change a thing." I'm really happy to be with Kyouko like this, to be her friend. I wasn't needed any longer, a failed Magical Girl who had trouble fighting Familiars... but Kyouko gave me a new purpose. This is definitely better...

"I can't say I regret a damn thing 'bout what I did either. There are things I'd change, if I could... but nothing 'bout the last few days. I'm really happy to have ya with me... but you know that already. But there's still some things I need to say before all of this is over. So, stay with me until then." She sounds very serious, all of a sudden... maybe it's about her family. I can't blame her for that, of course she'd rather have her family back than be with me. I want to return them to her, but I obviously can't... so I'll just have to do the best I can do, for her.

"I get it, I'll stay. Anyways, let's go already." I'm glad I had the opportunity to have a talk like this with her. I should've probably told her before, but I didn't know the words to express the feeling. I still don't really know the right words... But maybe I could just try to show her what I mean directly...

...

**Kyouko's POV**

...

"That's... is that how ya feel? I can't explain it, but I can feel it..." It's... if I had to pick a word to describe it, I'd call it 'acceptance'. It's like having a family, it's such a warm and nice feeling... but somehow it's also sad. It feels as if Sayaka was opening up her very heart to me, but I just can't do the same thing for her. I'm not ready to tell her how I feel, not yet. Not until I'm ready for it. I'm starting to think I could tell her... I don't know what would happen, but I really think she'd listen... It's me who isn't ready.

"Hehe, I'm a little bit embarrassed... but that's how I feel. It's my honest feelings, I have nothing to hide or be ashamed of. I just... well, I wanted to let you know how I felt." There's a little bit of pity, she even feels a little bit hurt... but she accepts it. I've got no idea what those feelings are all 'bout, I just take them in... it feels really good. Being accepted... I've really found a place to call home, a person to call family. It's... a really strong feeling, to say the very least.

"Thanks, but... don't ya dare dying on me! I don't care if you're happy, I'm not... I'm not ready to say goodbye!" I... I'm crying? I can't help it... Why do I always have to be so weak in front of her!? I just throw my arms around her, she hugs me back... I really want to stay like this. I'm crying like a damn kid, I don't even know why. It's the same thing I slowly started feeling from her over the last few days... I got a look behind the facade she always had on. She cares 'bout justice and all that stuff, but at the same time she uses it as a shield to protect her vulnerable self. She's baring it...

"Well, I don't really want to do that either way. I want to promise you that I'd stay with you, forever, if you'd need me... but I can't. I said it before, didn't I? I won't make any more promises I can't keep." *Sob* Sayaka... I want to stay with her, no matter what... she never had a problem with trying to do something impossible before, but now... I almost wish she'd be back to her naive self from back then. *Hic* "But I'll still promise you to stay with you, for as long as I can."

"I... I know, you goddamn idiot! I... I get it. Let's just enjoy every last goddamn second of it, alright?" I don't know how much longer we'll have... *Hic* Maybe some years, maybe a couple of hours... but I don't really care. If I could just spend that time with Sayaka...

"It's alright, Kyouko. It's alright..." She just strokes my back and pats my head... but right now, I don't mind. I feel safe, with her. I wouldn't usually admit it, but... she's really strong, in my opinion. She can't take care of herself and she's hopeless in a fight, but... when she's like this, she's really strong. I wouldn't doubt it for a sec if she told me she was invincible right now. I know she ain't, but I'd really want her to tell me... Even if it was a lie, just...

We stay like this for a while, her just comforting me while I hug her. I wouldn't mind staying like this for much longer. I wouldn't mind if this moment lasted forever... I don't need any more. I don't have to tell her, but just holding her like this... it's enough. *Sigh* She wants to go to the museum, I guess it can't be helped. Just a little bit longer...

"Hey, what's the matter? There's nothing to be sad about, right? There, there. Cheer up already." Nothing to be sad 'bout... hehe, yeah, sure. We're screwed, one way or another. But somehow she looks as bright as ever. No, even brighter. I really want to... No! I can't do that now! It'd be wrong. She'd just listen to me out of pity, I don't want that. I want her to... I want her to hear me out, without anything else goin' on.

"I know... 'course we're gonna make it. I just..." She's so beautiful... maybe I could just continue what I wanted to do before? Just a little...

"Hehe, I'm a little bit embarrassed, to be honest..." Huh? What does she... "Though you're still cuter. But you think I'm beautiful? Come on, admit it, I just heard you~ Though this really isn't the time." Crap! Had she caught a little more than that...! She's just grinning at me, she's just being smug now...

"Fine, you're beautiful! So what?! Can we go now?" Somehow I got the sudden urge to kick some Witch ass...

"Sure, sure~" What a pain... "Let's just get changed and go." She's unbuttoning her pyjama, she's... I should just get changed as well, nothing interesting over there... "Your hoodie is clean again, you can take that one again." At least some good news. Sayaka's clothes are a little bit too big for me, especially in certain areas...

"Yeah, thanks. Where is it?"

"Where you left it." So in that room... At least I've got a good reason to leave now. It'd be bad to stay in this room, I probably couldn't help... I'm going! Sure enough, my hoodie and my jeans are hanging there. They're dry and as good as new. I already missed 'em, those are my favourites. I guess I might as well change here, I wouldn't want to accidentally... well, maybe not accidentally... forget it!

...

**Sayaka's POV**

...

_Alright, are you ready?_ We're in front of the museum, it looks pretty menacing at night... but that's alright, I brought two flashlights with me.

_Ready as I can be. Though it's pretty damn cold..._ I hand her one of the flashlights and transform, she follows suit. That way others won't see us, though I don't get how that works. It's probably rather cold, and it sure is muddy... but I don't feel it either way. Besides, it should be warmer on the inside. I take a look around, Kyouko gets ready to smash the window... huh? One of the backdoors seems to be... open? That's pretty strange... did someone break in?

_Hey, stop that!_ She stops mid-swing, what was she thinking!? _The door is open... Besides, we don't want to attract any attention!_ Kyouko comes over, I simply push the door open.

_Well, wouldn't attract any attention. No one would hear it either way, we're transformed._ Oh, I guess that's true... but still, no need to cause the people working here more trouble than necessary. I turn on my flashlight, Kyouko follows suit. This place is really creepy now, I almost don't recognise anything from before. The shadows are reaching far, they move in strange ways, it's almost as if they were alive... _But, isn't this... I dunno, kinda suspicious?_

_You're talking about the door? Maybe someone forgot to lock it properly, it could be our lucky day?_ It feels more like someone's luring us into a trap... but Witches aren't really that smart. Besides, this one didn't even react to anything so far. It's pretty unlikely that it just suddenly woke up, after who knows how long. It's creepy and all, but it isn't that unrealistic feeling a labyrinth usually has.

_So, what are we looking for? The sarcophagus again?_ That's probably our best bet.

_Yes, let's start there._ I lead the way, Kyouko is right behind me. The exhibits also look very creepy now, the cabinets reflect the light in such odd ways. Maybe we shouldn't have come here tonight, it's probably nothing... but it can't be helped. I hold out my sword in front of me, we could run into a labyrinth any second now. Unless we get lucky and there isn't anything here. Though I'm pretty sure that's not the case.

_That jewellery look kinda pretty. Mind if I take some? Would look great on me, don't ya think?_ Wha-!? I turn around, Kyouko is staring at one of the exhibits... those look very beautiful. A golden necklace, with some bright green and red gems. It would probably look good on her...

_Of course not! We're not here to loot the museum!_ I take her hand and pull her away from it. She was probably just joking... well, maybe. Still, we don't have time for jokes right now. I just want to get this over with as soon as possible. Afterwards we just have to worry about Walpurgisnacht, then we're done. Well, we'll still have to hunt Witches, but if we can defeat such a strong one ordinary Witches shouldn't be much of a problem.

There are the stairs, the door is also unlocked. The key is still in there... _I'll be damned if we're alone in here._ I can't deny it, there's probably someone else. Maybe Homura?

_Kyubey. Come here for a bit._ I wait for a moment... nothing? Wouldn't he usually be here by now? "Hey! Kyuuubey! Are you there?" Still nothing... "Homura?"

"What're ya doin'? Why would Homura be here? 'sides, I could do without Kyubey." Well, I don't really want to see him either, but he could tell us whether Homura's here or not.

"There's a key, I doubt anyone left it there on purpose. I think Homura might be here, for the same reason as us. We could help each other out, it'd be good practise for Walpurgisnacht and make the fight easier for all of us." Those would be too many coincidences. It has to be Homura, there are no other Magical Girls in this town. Or maybe it's just some regular burglars? But they'd probably go for the jewelleries.

"Well, looks like Kyubey's not gonna come, is it? All the better." It's almost been a minute... I guess we'll have to do it without him.

"Alright, but be careful. I'd rather talk to Homura before fighting that Witch." We don't really know what the Witch could do, but we shouldn't get in her way or the other way around while fighting. I take out my mobile phone and try to call her. ... No reply. Maybe she's in the labyrinth already, we should hurry.

"Let's go!" She might need some help. Probably not, but you never know. I run down the stairs, now to the sarcophagus. It looks the same as before, nothing changed. Maybe Homura didn't come here, after all.

"So, what now?" That's a good question...

"Maybe we should split and look around for a bit? Just don't go too far, otherwise I'll collapse." That's a bit of a problem, but it isn't too bad. We managed while fighting that Witch the other day, so it should be fine. I'll just have to call Kyouko if I find the labyrinth, I won't enter right away.

"Split up? Sounds like the perfect set-up for a bad horror flick. 'Two girls, caught in the museum at night... They are yet to discover they aren't alone!' Is that what you're going for?" Now that she mentions it, it somewhat sounds like that...

"Well, it's not as if we'd suddenly be swarmed by undead or something like that. Or are you afraid~?" It's kind of scary, but it isn't too bad. At least for me.

"Don't be stupid. We're killing Witches, those are worse than any undead." I guess she has a point.

"Well, then it's alright to split up, right?" She just shakes her head and walks away.

"Yeah, sure. Just don't complain to me if something goes wrong." It's not as if the Witch would suddenly jump out and pull me into the labyrinth. That only happens if you're not a Magical Girl. I take a closer look at the sarcophagus, it's looking really eerie now...

_-stess... you retu-..._ Huh!? That again...

_Kyubey? Is that you? Homura? Kyouko? Is anyone there?_ I don't know what is going on, but it's really starting to scare me...

_The ti-... -eak... the sea-..._ It's getting a little bit clearer, though I don't understand it... Kyouko isn't answering, I'm getting dizzy again... Is it...? I have to confirm it. Sorry, whoever will be held responsible for this... I materialise my sword, though it's way more difficult than usually... I smash it into the wall of glass in front of me. That's definitely no ordinary glass, but it shatters nonetheless. It leaves an odd tension, that sound of shattering glass... Thousands of glittering shards are flying in front of me. Now I'll be able to take a closer look.

_Who is there?!_ I get a little bit closer to the sarcophagus, careful not to step on the broken glass. Those depictions are definitely Magical Girls, but the things on the other side... I walk around it, there are strange little immersions on top of it. I wonder what those are for? There are some strange characters as well, though I obviously don't recognise any of it. It looks a little bit different from the usual hieroglyphs, I believe. I mean, I'm no expert, but still...

_-ood... collect... open the..._ Now I'm actually beginning to understand some of the words. I don't know what that's supposed to mean, but something about collecting and opening... Not that I'd know how to open this thing, even if I wanted to.

_Who is there? Answer me already. Who are you and what do you want?_ Could it be the Witch? But Witches don't talk, do they? More strange characters appear all over the sarcophagus, now that I think about it... they actually remind me of those weird characters I sometimes see in the labyrinths. Is this...? I try to jump back, though it's more of a stumbling. My reactions aren't very good any more, I feel like vomiting...

_Don't worry. Just op-... and I will..._ It's definitely the voice of a girl. I come a little bit closer to the sarcophagus again and watch the characters dance around it, it's a really strange thing to see. I'm getting that headache again...

"Kyouko! Kyouko, come back alre-" I can't stay on my feet, I slowly stumble forward... I shouldn't have sent her away, it seems to be related to this place. I touch the sarcophagus, it's such a strange feeling. It's warm, a really pleasant warmth, all around it. It doesn't make any sense to me, it's just some kind of stone... the characters just don't stay still, they keep moving and moving... I almost feel as if I could read them, if I watched them just a little longer.

_Just a little mo-... almost broken. Offer the..._ That voice again... it sounds really pleasant. I don't know what it is, but I- *Rat-at-at-at* Ugh...? *Gasp* Wha-...? My body... falling over... I can't... what is...?

"You shouldn't have come here, Miki Sayaka. I spared you many times already, but not this time. This was the last time I made that mistake. I'm sorry." H-Homura...? What is she... she drops a machine gun to the floor, why... it hurts...

"Homu-... ra? What is... *Cough* *Cough*" A violent coughing shakes my body, I drop to the floor. Red... is that my...?

"I told you, didn't I? If you were to endanger Madoka again I wouldn't hesitate." I'm... my body isn't... "I always did hate you. You always did everything you could to get in my way. I should have done this much sooner." I look down, the bleeding isn't sto- *Cough*... "With that being said, I don't enjoy this. But you left me with no other choice. You understand it, don't you? It was far too dangerous to leave you alive after what you tried just now."

"It... hurts... *Cough* *Cough*" I probably don't even feel most of it, but it's...

"Don't worry, I'm not completely inhumane. Just hold still. I will take care of this really fast. Just don't move, it will be over in an instant. Though I probably don't have to tell you that, seeing your current situation..." What is she...? She's pulling out a gun and pointing it at my head, she can't be...! I try to move away, but my body... isn't responding at all!

_Kyouko! Kyouko, please! Come here right... _I guess it's too late either way. She won't make it in time, she's probably not even close. Is this... it? *Cough* All the fighting, all the hope, everything, just for this? I tried my best, maybe that's enough... No! I need to stay focused. Just a little longer, maybe I can... buy us some time. If it was just me... I wouldn't care. But right now... "Wait... Homura. Stop..."

"Any last words?" She's really close to me now, but I can't do anything... I'm completely at her mercy.

"Don't... you can't... *Cough* Kyouko will also...!" I have to do something! I push myself as much as I can... but it isn't working! I have to...

"Yes, she might also die, once I destroy your Soul Gem. But that's a necessary evil. I will fight Walpurgisnacht on my own, if I have to. How very noble of you, thinking only of others, even at a moment like this. Alas, it won't do you any good. It never did, and it never will. And if you can't get that through your thick head... I will just have to put a bullet through it, that will surely reach." It's no good... my fingers aren't even...

"Wha- *Cough*... what about... Madoka...?" I can barely breathe... is my heart even beating any longer? I can't tell...

"She will be upset, of course... but accidents happen, you know? I will just look for a Witch some Familiars and feed you to them, no one will ever know. Don't you worry about Madoka, I will take good care of her." That's... she would never...

_SAYAKA!? Sayaka, where are ya!? What's wrong!?_ Kyouko... it's too late, she won't make it...

_Kyouko! Don't... don't come! You have to... run awa-..._ It's too late, she finally arrives. It looks as if she was running, she looks scared... I want to tell her to escape, but even my consciousness is...

***BANG***

...

**Author's note:** Quite an ending to a nice story. We really enjoyed making this. Alas, all good things have to come to an end.

...

Hehe, sorry. Of course there's one more chapter to come. Well, and maybe a couple of other chapters as well... Alright, I'll admit it! I'm having way too much fun with this story. This was originally the ending we had in mind, but we added some stuff and... well, we're going to continue. I just think this was a perfect cliffhanger for this chapter. Though I doubt anyone actually fell for that one... oh well.


	12. At any price

**Kyouko's POV**  
...

"Yeah, sure. Just don't complain to me if something goes wrong." I'm kinda worried... but it shouldn't be that dangerous. If she finds the labyrinth or something else she's just gonna call me. I go a little bit further, through some doors. There's so much stuff here. Just how much did those idiots bury their dead with?! What a waste. Why anyone would give much of a damn 'bout that is way beyond me. What am I looking for either way?

Lotsa old stuff, nothing interesting. I really don't get it. It ain't worth anything, it won't do anyone any good. Yet people rather spend money on museums and stuff like this than helping out people who'd need it to survive. I really don't get it. I guess human beings are just inherently selfish or something. Why care 'bout others if they don't care 'bout you? Hehe, I guess Sayaka would scold me for thinking like that.

It's probably a good thing, getting some time for myself. I really love spending time with Sayaka, but there're some thoughts I'd rather keep to myself. No idea why, but somehow we can't communicate our thoughts down here. Maybe some weird magic stuff, who knows? Kyubey as well, so I guess it just ain't working down here. Maintaining my gear also seems to be way more exhausting than usual.

_Hey, Sayaka? How's it goin'?_ No answer... figures. It's kinda creepy down here, 'specially without Sayaka. She was kinda scared as well, but everything feels more bearable when she's there with me... Yet another door. How far did I wander off? Well, probably not that far. Huh? I could swear I just heard some glass shattering... Hm, maybe Sayaka decided to pick up some kinda trinket, after all~ Haha, as if. It's probably nothing. Though there are some pretty nice things down here. Granted, I couldn't eat stuff like that, but it's still pretty. Maybe I could just...

Though Sayaka would be really mad, so I'd better not... oh well, just a little something won't hurt anyone, right? I don't think she'll hear it, so I just smash in one of the cabinets. No need to worry 'bout setting off alarms, they don't pick us up anyways. I just grab into it and get a pocket full of nice trinkets, no one will have to know 'bout this. 'sides, it's better if I wear it than leaving it here, right? That way it has some actual use. Though I can't wear it 'cause Sayaka knows I couldn't buy stuff like this... Well, too late for putting it back.

Hm, I wonder if Homura is somewhere close by. She probably had the same idea as us, maybe she already found the Witch? If she's down here we'll meet her sooner or later. I don't think she'd just get killed by some Witch, she's pretty good. Though there's no way of knowing, one little mistake and we're dead. Same as Mami, she wasn't bad either. If a Witch got a grip on Homura her ability would be useless.

No point worrying 'bout it. If it happens... well, too bad for her. I look 'round, still no signs of Witches. Maybe it's really nothing, after all. We can just go back home and spend some more time together. Maybe play some games, kill some time 'til Walpurgisnacht shows up. And then we're free to do whatever we want. Sayaka might drag me to school... I wonder how that'll be. Maybe I'll be able to just live a normal life, apart from the whole Magical Girl stuff.

Well, sounds good to me. Always wondered what a normal life feels like. Just hang 'round in school, make some friends and study a little here and there. Then find a job, work for money to get what you want... that part sounds pretty boring. Why work for money if I can just take whatever I want? *Sigh* What else? Well, I guess... finding that special someone, huh? Getting to know each other, go out, get married... That's how it always goes in those movies, right?

I didn't like those all that much, I rather sneaked into the cinema to watch some action flicks. But I'm kinda getting it now, at least some of those things. Huh? I thought I heard Sayaka calling for a second. I wonder if Sayaka... how would she react if I just told her? Well, she'd obviously turn me down... Probably that whole 'Let's just stay friends' stuff. And then living together would be really awkward. *_rat-at-at-at_* Huh? What was that? This time I definitely heard something. It's really quiet now, but... what was that?

It came from the direction of the sarcophagus... but Sayaka ain't calling, I'm still within shouting range. Just what is she doing over there? Maybe that was Homura. Probably shot at some of the cabinets to get what's inside. So she is here, after all. Well, who else would it be? Should I meet up with her and Sayaka? They're probably already talking 'bout what to do next or something like that.

Well, I'll just leave 'em to it. They can talk 'bout strategy or whatever else they might have to talk 'bout. Maybe that girl, Madoka. Homura's probably gonna brag to Sayaka 'bout that sooner or later, huh? I guess Homura got what she wanted, in the end. She just confessed and everything was fine? ... *Sigh* Madoka probably just didn't want to tell her off. I don't think it's as great as Homura seems to think it is. But maybe...

This is so frustrating! I wanna do something 'bout it... but I'm stuck, waiting for some opportunity that might never come! To hell with it all! I could really use a goddamn Witch right now, or just 'bout anything else to relief some stress. But of course that's not gonna happen, is it? Yeah, it's just too damn much to ask for a Witch to pop out when you need one. Seriously, why can't-

_Kyouko! Kyouko, please! Come here right... _A jolt of pain suddenly runs through my whole being, I don't even... what just happened?! I'm fine, but it still kinda hurts. It's just... I don't actually feel it in my body, it's something else. Is it- I quickly take out our Soul Gem, it's getting tainted! This is way too fast, it's coming from Sayaka... I have to hurry, she could be in trouble! Maybe they somehow entered the labyrinth by accident.

No time to think this through! I just start running. Did I really go this damn far?! I push open doors left and right, it's still pretty uncomfortable. Where was that blasted sarcophagus again!? It's really hard to tell with all the lights off, just my flashlight flickering 'round. To the left? No, I think it was the right... Yeah, this is the right way. I start running again, yet another damn junction! Was this designed to be a goddamn maze!?

...

?

...

"Oh, so you did survive, after all. And you are back..."

"..."

"Is it because of those two? Are you interested in them?"

"It is something worth observing, even for someone with my knowledge. You couldn't even enter because of the barrier, could you?"

"It was your work, after all. Say what we may, your magic is superior to anything we use. Though we didn't expect to see you again, to be honest. After last time..."

"Did you think I would succumb to despair so easily? Just because I was betrayed by my allies, just because all of my efforts were in vain? Such a weak existence, so transient... that's no longer who I am. It's not quite impossible, escaping this 'unavoidable fate of Magical Girls', after all. Though you wouldn't want them to know it, for obvious reasons."

"So you are taking an interest in them. Would you like to research them with us? We used to work together quite well, after all."

"You were a good tool, if that's what you mean. Other than that... you are useless. You claim to be highly advanced and superior to us, yet your 'goals' are as base and primitive as those of maggots in a carcass. Tell me, do you still believe your methods are effective to counter 'entropy'?"

"Of course. We keep the universe together and prevent disorder from destroying us all."

"That is the difference between us, in the end. You are still the very same as back then, yet I advanced beyond anything you might had thought possible."

"There is no evidence for your claims, but a discussion would probably prove to be as pointless as ever. Do you need them for something?"

"I might."

"Shouldn't you intervene, in that case? They are about to die, as you surely know. I'm unable to, but you..."

"No. You manipulated them into that situation to begin with. Why would you suggest that I save them now?"

"Well, it would have been bothersome if they stopped Akemi Homura in her task of creating endless energy for us. But now that we know you are back... you could be even more of a problem."

"I can't quite deny that. They seem to be of little relevance to the whole, but their existence alone might prove to be quite valuable for research."

"In that case we should cooperate, wouldn't you agree?"

"Did you listen to me? You are of no use to me. I'm only interested in them, for the time being."

"Then why aren't you helping them?"

"There is no reason to, I read it in the truth of their existences. And their newfound power... I wish to observe it, every second of it. What better situation to test it than this? The little butterfly flapped its wings... A fresh wind in this stale universe. Will it bring about a storm or is it going to calm the tides? Will it pass without changing anything? Even I can't quite tell. You were going to use this situation to trick Kaname Madoka into a contract, weren't you? A wasted effort."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You can't grant impossible wishes, can you? Her wishing that girl, Miki Sayaka, back... It's impossible."

"You sound quite certain of that, don't you? Do you have that much confidence in them?"

"I don't act on confidence. This isn't merely an assumption, it's a fact that you can't grant impossible wishes. Though you will see the outcome for yourself, soon enough. Of course that won't stop you from pursuing your feeble-minded plans... what more should I expect from a broken doll? I don't even know whether I would call what you have a 'mind' at all."

"..."

"Do what you have to. I'm not going to stop you. It doesn't matter. This sarcophagus belongs to her, after all. There shouldn't be any problems. Unless..."

"Unless?"

"You wouldn't understand the problem. Yes, this is indeed..."

...

**Kyouko's POV**

...

_SAYAKA!? Sayaka, where are ya!? What's wrong!?_ Just a little further... I'm almost there!

_Kyouko! Don't... don't come! You have to... run awa-... _Sayaka! I finally arrive at the sarcophagus, I point my flashlight towards it. Sayaka's sitting on the ground and leaning against it. Next to her is-

*BANG* W-w-what...? Sayaka's body jerks for a second, then... she falls forward, face first... this can't...

"I apologise. Please give me your Soul Gem, I will have to separate it by force, or you will follow her." What just... Homura? Why is...

"The fuck... are ya talkin' 'bout!? What did... why?! **SAYAKAAA!**" I rush towards her, Homura just stays over her body, this is... WHY DID SHE DO THAT!? _C'mon, Sayaka, talk to me! Just say something, think something! Please... anything..._! She isn't... Damn! "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

"As I said, please give me your Soul Gem so that I may-" I get my spear and charge at her. Absolutely unforgiveable. I strike at her... "separate your Soul Gem from hers before it gets too late." I don't give a damn if she can stop time or whatever, I will get her for this! I strike at her again, this time faster. This is... just like back then! I'm gonna be too late... again... No! I won't let that happen again! I promised, never again!

"I'MMA FUCKIN' KILL YA!" I scream and scream, I don't even know what any more... nor do I care! Just one hit, I just have to land one goddamn hit on her! I try to use my spear as a chain to capture her, but she just vanishes again... DAMNIT! I can hear her, she's right behind-

*BANG*

...

**Homura's POV**

...

*BANG* What a mess. That it had to come to this... how can I face Madoka again? I'm... I'm effectively a murderer now. Tainted, even more so than before. It gets worse every time I rewind. But if this is what it takes to ensure Madoka's safety... I will just have to think of a way to prevent her from wishing them back, after disposing of the bodies. That won't be much of a problem, after all. Then all that's left to worry about will be Walpurgisnacht and-

"DIE!" What!? Sakura Kyouko, she's... she seems to be doing fine, how did she- She rushes at me again, this is troublesome... How did she survive, even unharmed!? I aimed directly at her head while time was stopped, but... It doesn't matter. I will simply do it again. *BANG* I get behind her, let time resume and observe the bullet. It... it passes right through her! How is... Ah, I get it. That is not her. Somehow her powers from before that incident must have re-awakened.

"Please, be reasonable about this. I'm just trying to save you, after all." If only I could tell where exactly she keeps their Soul Gem. It no longer manifests the same way as it did before on them and it probably doesn't separate, not even while they're transformed. I move my flashlight around, there are... three of her now. Which one is the real one?! This fight is such a waste of energy, I didn't think either of them could protect themselves from my ability...

"Reasonable?! REASONABLE?! You just shot Sayaka and you're... you're telling me to be reasonable!? I WILL SHOW YOU FU-" The three of them rush towards me at once, like a whirlwind of red. I have no way of knowing which is the real one... I stop time once more. They all look the same and I can't tell where her voice is coming from either... I will just have to shoot all three of them at once. *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* "CKING REASONABLE!" This time I defi- Huh?! Something just coiled around my ankles! "Got ya..."

"You are better than I expected..." Her spear coils around me, she was probably just pretending- no, she's definitely that angry. But she doesn't let it control her actions, too bad. So all of those were just decoys. To fall for such a simple trick... She was hiding behind some cabinets while her mirages distracted me. She's approaching me now, I... I don't think I ever saw her that angry or desperate. The lighting makes it look even worse. I feel pity for her... but there's nothing I can do about this situation. I gave up on saving everyone a while back, it can't be helped.

"Give her back... GIVE HER BACK!" She's approaching again, fast... I quickly get a flash grenade out of my shield and close my eyes. A dazzling light illuminates the whole place for a second, her spear loosens and she jumps back... I reach for my gun and get some distance between us while she's blinded, I have the advantage again. I won't fall for the same trick twice. *BANG* *BANG* She deflects the shots with her spear, barely. But she is weakened already, this shouldn't take much longer. I have to kill her before she turns...

"I didn't plan for this to happen, nor did I want it. It was too dangerous, I had no other choice!" She isn't listening to me, she just starts charging again... I stop time once more and get a baseball bat out of my shield. And I start hitting her. She moves for a short moment... and she's frozen again. I hit her again... and again. She stumbles backwards and freezes again. Her nose is bloody, she tries to raise her spear to defend herself... but that doesn't help her.

"Damn... you..." She falls to her knees and lets go of her spear. I get behind her, I need to finish this fast. A shot to the head will incapacitate her, if it doesn't kill her immediately. I pull out another gun and aim it at her head. She tries to reach for her spear once more, but I quickly stop time. Now it shou-

W-what!? Suddenly... something grabs my shoulders from behind and pulls me up! Kyouko is still frozen and I hit her before, that couldn't have been an illusion. So that can only mean... Sayaka?! I struggle and kick, but she doesn't even stagger! How is this... *Crack* A strangely wet sound, wha- "AAARGH!" What is this-!? Pain explodes in my right shoulder...! Time is still stopped, but I can't free myself like this! I can barely even struggle, it hurts far too much...

"Grief... Seed. Bring... Grief Seeds..." How did she survive that?! I got her, I made sure of that! So how...

"Alright, I will get you Grief Seeds. Just let me-" *Crack* Again, now my left arm...! My flashlight drops to the ground and breaks. I can't keep time stopped any longer, not like this! Kyouko gets her spear and spins around. None of this was supposed to happen... She points it at me, though I can't see her face like this.

"What...? Sayaka?! You're..." Sayaka lets go of me, I try to reach for my shield... it's no use. I can barely move my arms like this, I can't defeat them... Well, there is no reason to either, no longer. Apparently she didn't awaken that Witch. Incubator... it pitted us against one another, and I... it was a mistake, trusting it for even a second.

"Get... the Grief Seeds... already. I will- *Cough* take care... of your shoulders afterwards." I could try to... no, that wouldn't help. My regenerative abilities wouldn't be enough for this to completely heal before Walpurgisnacht arrives. Even if I were to defeat them, somehow. I could turn time back, but I hesitate. This world isn't lost just yet and it was very different from previous ones. If the Witch awakens while I'm gone... or worse... I can still do it.

"Very well... you don't leave me much of a choice, after all." I should give up on this timeline as well, but I won't turn it back until I know it's too late. I prepare to go, but Kyouko is getting in my way...

"You expect us to just trust you and let you go after that!?" She points her spear at my throat again, maybe I should-

"Let... her go." Kyouko lowers her spear, though she's clearly hesitant about doing so. Sayaka has turned her back to both of us, she's probably not doing very well...

"I should be able to... make it back in twenty minutes. Can you endure it until I return?" It would be a miracle if they made it... then again, it's already a miracle that Sayaka made it this far, even with a bullet in her head. Not much further though, by the looks of it. Well, in that case little is lost for me. It's a shame, but I can't take Grief Seeds back with me... I will just have to search for new ones in a new timeline. No, that isn't possible... not this time! Madoka, this was...

"We'll have to. Just... hurry." I stop time and start moving as fast as I can, though it's rather pointless. This is the first time I told Madoka how I really feel, I can't turn my back on this timeline! It's pointless, but... I will stay. Until the very end, even if I can't do anything... I will fight. I never thought I would think this, but those two are my only hope...

...

**Kyouko's POV**

...

"Damn... you..." I fall to my knees, my spear is right in front of me. I wipe some blood from my nose. It's over... I reach out for my spear, though I know it ain't gonna do shit... She will just use her time tricks again and finish me, I won't even be able to do anything. This pisses me off! My hands grab it and I spin around, my eyes slowly regaining their vision from the flashbang. She's... What's goin' on now!? She's just standing there, with a shocked and pained expression. Wait, that... behind her...

"What...? Sayaka?! You're..." I can only see her arms, but... I can't believe it. She somehow... She lets go of Homura now, who seems to be in a pretty bad condition, both of her arms just slump to her sides. It looks as if she was trying to raise them... but she doesn't seem to be able to, for some reason.

"Get... the Grief Seeds... already. I will- *Cough* take care... of your shoulders afterwards." She has her back turned to me and her voice sounds pretty hoarse. She seems to gurgle a little bit as well... that ain't a good sound. Even from here, with the little light my flashlight provides... I can see that she's all bloody! Her cloak seems to be more red than white now and there are numerous holes in it...

"Very well... you don't leave me much of a choice, after all." She's just going to... let Homura go?! I can't allow this, she would just get herself some Grief Seeds and use them for herself! Then she'd come back and kill us for real... I'm not gonna sit by and just let that happen! I point my spear right at her throat. Even if she stops time... she shouldn't be able to get too far away, in her condition.

"Let... her go." If only I had some more Grief Seeds... but I guess Homura is our only hope now. I wouldn't make it far, carrying Sayaka, and leaving her is out of the question. Guess we're gonna die intestate...

"I should be able to... make it back in twenty minutes. Can you endure it until I return?" Sayaka is holding onto some of the cabinets, it has to be really bad. She wouldn't ever let me see any of this, if she could help it...

"We'll have to. Just... hurry." And Homura just vanishes. I consider giving chase for a moment, but I'd have to leave Sayaka behind...

"Hey, how... how're ya doin'?" I come a little bit closer, her breathing sounds all wrong...

"No! Don't come an- *Cough*" She falls down, just like that...! I put my flashlight down, rush to her side and touch her shoulder. She tries to push my hand away weakly, but I keep a firm grip on her. "Homura was... right. You should try to- *Cough* split my half off." The hell is she sayin'!? Like I'd ever do something like this! There's no way I'd even consider this for a sec! I'm gonna find some other way to solve this, no matter what.

"Shh, it's alright. Just let me turn you 'round, we'll get through this. Just twenty minutes, right? What kinda hero would ya be, not even being able to bear it that long?!" I pull on her shoulder. She tries to resist, but I'm finally able to turn her around. What's...?! Her... her body is... I almost throw up, this is far worse than even...!

"I'm... not a hero... *Cough* at all. I told you, you'll have to... do that. There's absolutely... no other way. Please..." What is she even saying!? She ain't making any goddamn sense!

"You're my hero, no matter how you see yourself! And if I did that we'd both die either way, screw that! It's gonna be fine, just trust me..." I take a closer look with my flashlight, this is terrible... there are smaller bullet holes all over her body. Even her arms, her legs... and a really big one in her forehead. Blood is streaming all over her body, though some other things are also- Damn! What the hell should I do now!? If I could heal like Sayaka, maybe I could... but even if I could, this!?

"Hehe, that's... really sweet of you. But it isn't... it really isn't. Split it off, there's a- *Cough* a chance that you're... going to make it. Though I didn't want you to- *Cough* see me like this. The same as back then..." She's probably talking 'bout when she almost turned... I don't want to think of that! "This time we can't... hope for some miracle. Just tell Madoka... I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye. I'm really sorry for *Cough* forcing this on you, but... Kyouko, please! I don't want to..." What the hell is she even saying!? She sends me a clear picture, but... it's her goddamn duty to believe in miracles, magic, love and all that other crap! So why... why...?!

"Sayaka, you've gotta be kiddin' me! I'd never do something like that!" *Pit* *Pat* Huh? Tears... they fall down on her bloodied face and leave small trails, washing some of the blood away... I don't even care. Screw it all, I just want Sayaka to...!

"Kyouko, it's... it's alright. You're strong, right? Much stronger... than me. You'll be just fine... without me. *Cough* You always told me... to be a little more... selfish, right? So this is my... selfish request for you, alright? You're going to be free again, I won't... ever be a burden for you again. I really don't wa- *Cough* want to... end up as a Witch. So, just..." This can't be real! No way in hell! She reaches for my cheeks and tries to dry some of the tears, but she's just smearing blood all over me... her blood!

"Sayaka, I absolutely can't! You can't make me do this! Not after everything that's happened, not after my family, and Mami, and... and...!" Her hand falls to her side again and she gives me a little smile. Her cerulean eyes and hair always looked so beautiful... yet here she is, one eye closed 'cause of the blood, her hair and clothes stained with a dirty red... Her eye still has that same light in it, but... Why?! WHY!? **WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?! **What did I do wrong to deserve this kinda crap?! I just wanted dad to be...!

"Kyouko... you have to. I'm sorry, but... there's no other way. Just do it... and move on. You can still live at my home, just tell... dad about this. He's definitely going to... *Cough* take care of you. *Wheeze* ... I don't know, Kyouko. I don't know why... it's always you. I wanted to... to take a bit of that and... help you. But in the end... I'm just another... *Cough* dead weight for you, right? I'm sorry..." A dead we-!? No way, that isn't...!

"Sayaka, I won't! I'll never do something like this, not even if you beg for me to do it! And if we'd turn into Witches 'cause of it... so be it, I'm fine with that! We'll go out there and kill scores of people, and we just won't give a fuck! I'd rather be a goddamn Witch with ya than ending up like Mami! I don't care 'bout some godforsaken house, I don't want any of that crap! I don't care for running water or food either, just... just stay with me, you goddamn idiot!" Why can't she just see it, not even now?!

"Kyouko, don't even... *Cough* *Wheeze* You have to...!" She just coughs up some blood and gurgles... I put her head on my lap, she can't even resist it any longer. Her expression is turning slightly desperate, the light in her eye is flickering...

"Hey, Sayaka... let's just become Witches together, alright? Bringing curses to this fucked up world, wrecking some havoc... sounds like some damn good fun, doesn't it? This world... it ain't worth protecting or saving." I just stroke Sayaka's hair with my right hand, it's pretty wet now, with Sayaka's... "You see... I don't give a damn 'bout this world, or those idiots you want to protect. I don't care if it all goes to hell... but I ain't goin' there, never again. I'll keep you with me, no matter where to. So, if we turn into Witches or whatever... that's fine. So long as we're together."

"..." She's looking slightly terrified... She moves her mouth a little bit, but nothing comes out. Even the gurgling noises she occasionally made stopped now...

"Hey, you've gotten so quiet... but you're really happy as well, right? Even if you can't tell me... I still want you to be happy. I want to be with you, forever and ever..." I move some bloody hair out of her face and clean it up a little bit. Now I put her head down and move around. I get down to the floor with her and hug her tight... A bright blue light envelops her for a moment, her costume vanished...

"What I'm saying is... I... I love ya! I really do. There, now I said it... so you have to... you really can't..." I close my eyes, move closer to her face again... and kiss her. It worked in those goddamn fairy tales, so why the hell not?! But... This isn't... her lips are cold and it leaves nothing but the taste of iron and despair, this... I open my eyes again and look into hers. That light, it's finally been extinguished... No! _**SAYAKA!**_ C'mon, you're stronger than this! You can't just die like this! I won't allow that! _Sayaka, come back to me, right now!_

... She ain't answering. So this... this is it, huh? Just like this... I hug her tight and bury my face in her shoulder, her chest isn't moving any longer. I reach for her neck... so cold, and nothing else. This is...! I can't believe it, but she's dead. Really, honest to God dead... No! I won't accept this, never! This is too pointless, she deserved better than this! Such a pathetic death, just because Homura... leaving me all alone again... No, never! I'll get her back, I'll definitely...

I take out our Soul Gem, it's... huh? What the...? It's not that dark, actually. I mean, yeah, it's way darker than before all of this... but it's still shining brightly. Sayaka's part is getting darker by the minute, but... there're bright blue lights with musical notes and circles appearing all over her body, is this... is she healing!? I don't know how, but I think she's actually healing! But her power alone probably won't be enough... I do my best to transfer some of mine over to her.

It seems to take forever, but... it's actually happening! That purple line also just grew a bit, I'm sure of it. If that's what it takes to save Sayaka... My half is pretty dark already, I should probably worry 'bout that... but I just continue, giving my energy to Sayaka. I'll manage, somehow. I always did. It felt like a curse before, but it might be a blessing, just this once. No matter what, I will save her! I take out the Grief Seed from before, though I should've probably taken some more with me...

_Hang in there! I'm givin' it my all, everything I have... so come back already! Don't leave me to clean your mess up!_ She's still not answering and her regeneration stopped, but I could definitely feel something from her. She's stirring in her soul, as if she was in a really deep sleep... but that won't be enough. It's as if something was in the way, dragging her down. But maybe... there is a way. Maybe I can reach her, if I did that again...

...

Here we are again. I take a look around, this time it's even starting out weird. It somewhat resembles the museum, but everything is red, the same red as... I push onwards, she has to be somewhere around here. I don't care if that thing is there again, I'll definitely not let it get in my way! There're strange characters all over the place, it's as if they were dancing around and changing forms... but only when I ain't looking. Kinda pisses me off... but I've got more important stuff to do.

_Sayaka! Come out already, I know you're somewhere 'round here! _If this place is actually her labyrinth... she also has to be in here, somewhere. The music is pretty loud already, much more so than last time. I'm kinda scared... But I won't go astray, I know where I need to go. Always towards the music and I'll eventually find that Witch. Just like last time I was here. Then I'll get her to listen to me, whether she likes it or not!

That blue thing again... I saw it last time as well. Maybe it's Sayaka, leading me where I have to go. At least I'd like to think so. I stumble forward, it's no longer just the red tone... the whole world seems to be literally flooded by blood! This has to be the weirdest labyrinth I've seen as of yet. There are no Familiars, at least I don't see any. It's just blood and the music, getting louder and more messy by the minute. I think I'm almost there again...

Suddenly all lights go out, there's almost complete darkness... Then the headlights go on. I see the weird figures in the distance again, playing the instruments. There isn't just one instrument now, it's an entire orchestra, led by a mad conductor. That conductor probably being the Witch... but what should I do now?! I'm stuck here, just like last time... If I approach the middle of the theatre that Witch is gonna crush me like a damn cockroach...

Though this place looks really different, now that I think 'bout it. There isn't actually a stage this time, just a great pool of blood collecting in the middle. It's apparently coming from the audience, flowing down the stairs, from what I can see... this is even worse than last time I was here! The Witch still looks the same, though her lower half is submerged in the pool. It seems to be a lot angrier than last time, if that's even possible... anyways, that doesn't help me at all. What should I do about this?!

_You have to convince her of your intentions. She is hostile towards you, in spite of your connection. Not much of a surprise, considering what you mentioned prior to her 'passing'._ What the hell?!

_Who's there!? _

_Who I am? Who am I, indeed? Who knows, or cares._ That's not gonna help me!

_Shut the hell up and let me think!_ I don't care for stupid mind games with random strangers.

_About what?_ How is she even reaching me in here?! Is Kyubey behind this?

_How 'bout the weather? It's basically raining blood down here. Pretty nice, dontcha think?! How the fuck I'm gonna save Sayaka, that's what! You stupid or something?! _Who does she even think she is?! The nerve of that...

_Didn't I just tell you? What you're most likely facing right now is the guardian of her soul. It won't let you pass, unless you can convince it that you mean no harm._ That's nice and all, but...

_How is that thing guarding her?! She's dying out there! _ She's just like Homura... no, probably worse.

_That's just her body, that's why the guardian is taking over. It's protecting her soul from death by rejecting her dying body before using too much energy to heal it. _That's a real problem...

_And how does knowing that help me?!_

_What more help do you need? Just try to reach out for her. It's the same as with your Soul Gem._ That's also great, so much help...

_I don't have our goddamn Soul Gem with me right now, in case you didn't notice!_ Seriously, she's either dumb or doesn't know anything 'bout our situation...

_Wrong. Where do you think you are?_ Where... I am?

_Well, in Sayaka's labyrinth, I guess..._ What is she playing at?

_Precisely. And where exactly do you think that is?_ Where the labyrinth is located...?

_Well, in the museum, where we-_

_And you're asking me whether I'm stupid? A labyrinth has no actual place in space. Where the labyrinth appears is determined by its core. And what do you think is that core_? Oh, I get it now. A Grief Seed...

_So you're saying I'm inside of our Soul Gem, right?_

_That you are. If you need to picture it... you're just past the place where your Soul Gems overlap. The first step into her soul. And this guardian... think of it as her immune system. It will attack as soon as it detects foreign bodies inside of her soul. It won't let anything you say or do reach her, unless it recognises you. You will have to convince it, if you wish to save yourself... and her._ So that's how it works...

_Alright, and how do I do that? How do I convince her?_ I know where I have to get, but that ain't much help either...

_Learn to understand her. She might communicate with you. Don't get too close, don't talk too much or without thought. Just try to listen to her. Not her voice, her soul itself. Can't you hear it?_ Her... soul? I don't understand a goddamn thing right now... Her body is still out there, and if I don't hurry up and do something 'bout all of this... _Don't get ahead of yourself, I will treat her body, to the best of my ability. You should focus on convincing her, all Grief Seeds in the world won't do her much good if you can't get through to her._

_Sayaka?_ I slowly approach the pool of blood in the middle. Those figures stop playing for a moment, the Witch is growling... then they resume and it's as if nothing happened. _Sayaka, I'm talking to ya! I came here to save ya_! The music stops once more, the Witch seems to be really upset now. Those wheels are appearing again, this ain't gonna to work!

_You are being impatient, that won't do you any good. Try to be calm, otherwise she might get the wrong idea._ Be calm, she says...

_C'mon, Sayaka, I'm sorry..._ I stay where I am, halfway there. The Witch seems to look down at me, though I can't see what's behind that helmet. The wheels stay in midair, though they could hit me any second... I just try to focus on Sayaka, if only I could reach her...

_Liar. You meant every single word you said to her back then, didn't you? So, this is what you wanted. I, Oktavia von Seckendorff, will put an end to you!_ At least the Witch seems to hear me, though it still has its sword raised, ready to attack...

_This ain't what I wanted! I was just... I didn't want to lose Sayaka! I'd rather become a Witch with her than being all alone again, yeah... but that doesn't mean I want that to happen!_ I just need to stay calm and talk to her... This isn't like in that dream, at least I'm communicating with that Witch. If only I could get past her and to Sayaka...

_It doesn't matter. You are the worst. You wanted to corrupt her, didn't you? To turn her into something like you. We will never let the likes of you get any further! Even as a Witch... We would be different from you all._ She doesn't attack yet, that's good... though the situation as a whole is pretty bad. This is 'bout the whole stuff with Familiars again, isn't it?

_Oktavia, was it? Listen... I don't wanna lose someone important, never again! I care for her, that's why I ask her to let some Familiars go! That's why we're here in the first place, because I wanted to save her. So please... just listen to me and let me get her back!_ That's all I want, nothing else...

_Why would I?_ Why... what?

_Because..._ How should I answer a question like that?! Maybe I should just be honest. _I need Sayaka! I can't go on without her! I beg of you, let me reach her..._ I get a little bit closer again, the Witch still doesn't attack me. Though I shouldn't push my luck...

_You are being awfully selfish again. You don't actually care for her at all, do you? You only care for yourself, it doesn't matter to you what anyone else says or wants._ I guess she's right, I'm being selfish...

_Yeah, can't argue with that. I'm being selfish again, I want to do this for myself._ The Witch seems to be just 'bout to attack me now, I hope this is going to work... _Because I care for Sayaka! If that's selfish, caring for her... then I'm selfish, yeah. I don't care 'bout others all that much, that's true. But I care for her! More than I care for anything else!_ The Witch seems to have calmed down again, at least for now.

_If you were to go any further... what would you do?_ Huh?

_What do you mean? I'd go to Sayaka and get her back, that's what I'd do. _

_You would be able to change her very being. You could make her see the world as you do, you could make her love or hate others... you would have the power to change her very essence. Are you telling me that you wouldn't abuse such power? _I could do all that...? It does sound kinda tempting, we wouldn't have to fight 'bout anything any more. We'd agree on anything and we'd do things my way. I could even make her lo-

_No, thanks. That wouldn't be the Sayaka I like. If I wanted a second me I could've just as well stayed all alone. I like her, just the way she is._ For a moment the Witch seems to chuckle. It somewhat sounds like a dark and twisted version of Sayaka's usual laughter, but I guess that's a good thing?

_You don't even know her, yet you claim to like her? Very well... I shall retreat, for now. But I will keep an eye on you and if you try to change something... I won't simply throw you out again, regardless of how much she cares for you._ Wait, is she talking 'bout Sayaka?! I knew she cared for me, but I like the sound of that~ The Witch just dives into the pool of blood, I guess that means I can continue... though I have no idea which way I should go.

_You succeeded, didn't you?_ That girl...

_Yeah. Thanks for the help, I guess... but who are ya, for real?_ She seems to know a fair deal 'bout all of this, at least a lot more than your average Magical Girl.

_Messelah is what I used to be called. I don't mind that name, so you may use it as well._ Messelah? Pretty strange name, but it reminds me of something.

_Like that 'Lady Messelah' Kyubey told me 'bout?_

_Most likely. You did better than I expected, to be honest. But let me warn you, it will get much harder from here onwards. You should enter her soul every now and then, if you want to stay alive. Though you'll eventually have to let her enter yours as well. But I did what I came here to do, so I'll get going. Maybe we'll meet again, someday._ I guess I'll keep those things in mind. Right now I need to go on either way, though I still have no idea where to...

_Kyouko... You really came._ Sayaka?! That was definitely her voice. A bright blue light appears, it's expanding... the whole world seems to be changing. It's turning white again, like in the hospital part. Though this time there's nothing else. Just this seemingly endless white space and me. Then I see her... Sayaka. She's just standing there, in her Magical Girl outfit. I'm so damn happy to see her again!

_Sayaka! You really scared me there! Don't ever do something like that again!_ I run towards her and hug her, it's almost feels real. I'm so happy... no, beyond happy! _I'm sorry for all of that stuff I said... I was being really stupid there. I really didn't want to hurt you like this. Please, forgive me!_ I really shouldn't have told her all of those things... I just felt I had to tell her everything before it was too late.

_It's alright... I guess. You did come back to save me, right? So I'll overlook it, this time. Just don't do or say things like that ever again, alright?_ But... what else can I do?

_Sayaka... I want to stay with you. If we died... I'm sure you'd go somewhere else. If there's a god you'd go to heaven, for sure... but I'd definitely go to hell. And I'd never be able to see you again, I really can't bear that thought! Please, don't abandon me! I don't want to be all alone again, that's worse than becoming Witches together! That's why..._ It really is selfish of me, I guess... but I can't help it.

_You're still a good person at heart, Kyouko. But I'm..._ She feels really awkward for a moment, then everything goes black... "You have to wake up."

...

"Hey, Kyouko! Wake up already." Everything's spinning...

"Sayaka...? Are you alright?!" I sit up and look at her. She's sitting next to me, leaning against the sarcophagus. She's still covered in blood... but the wounds seem to be closed again. No idea how that worked, it looked really nasty...

"Yes, I'm fine. I just had a really strange dream, that's all." A dream, huh? I guess it was like that, from her perspective. "So, why were you lying there? Did you pass out after cutting me open?" Cutting her... what?!

"What do you mean, cutting you open?!"

"Well, it had to be you. You cut open those wounds and removed the bullets, right?" She points to a bloody heap of bullets next to her...

"Oh, so she did take care of that. No idea who it was, but there was another Magical Girl here. I didn't see her, I was kinda... preoccupied. She took care of that for me." I open my hand, there's our Soul Gem. It's... it's completely clean?! I put it back into my pocket, though I have no idea what's going on any more... "Sayaka, I'm so glad you're alright! I was really worried, you damn idiot!" I throw my arms around her, she just gently hugs me back~

"Hey, that wasn't my fault! I didn't even have a chance to defend myself..." Well, I guess that's true.

"I know. Just... take care of yourself next time, alright? This time it was way too close." We almost died there, we need to be much more careful from now on. I guess I'll just... have to stay close to Sayaka, from now on~ No more splitting up! It was a pretty stupid idea from the very beginning.

"Hm, I guess so. I don't really remember all that much... but you were really angry, right? And you tried really hard to save me..." I'm kinda glad she doesn't remember too much 'bout it, otherwise she'd probably be extremely angry right now...

"Yeah, of course I was angry! I mean, I was kinda..." I was really scared, though that probably didn't show. If I'd not been able to save her...

"It's alright, you don't have to worry about me. I'm fine now, for the most part." She's so warm again, I can definitely feel her heartbeat... she's alive, no matter what she might think.

"I'm back, I... brought you some Grief Seeds. All I can spare." Homura seems to be in an awful condition right now... well, she had it coming. I finally let go of Sayaka and get up, though I'd rather have stayed that way...

"Alright, just come over here and give them to me." Homura looks at Sayaka, then at me... her expression changes from pain to completely dumbfounded.

"You... but you... I... I killed you!" Hm, I didn't expect Sayaka to be just fine when I came back either... though I'm really happy.

"I guess you did, in a way... Well, it's all water under the bridge now, right? I'll heal you, just don't attack us again." I don't really get why she isn't more... angry, I guess. I mean, I could still rip Homura's goddamn head off!

"Um... alright...? Well, attacking you would be pointless either way, wouldn't it? Even with the element of surprise on my side, I didn't manage to kill you." She walks up to Sayaka, I keep a close eye on her. Sayaka just puts her hands on Homura's shoulders and those blue circles appear again. "Thank you, and... I'm really sorry. I thought I had to do it..."

"Not that you deserve it, after what you just did. If you even put a scratch on Sayaka again I'll kill ya! If she didn't ask me not to do it right now I'd..." Helping each other out, yeah? Screw her...

"I know, I owe her a few. Though I won't hesitate to attack you again if you endanger... Well, there doesn't seem to be a Witch around here." She just gives Sayaka two Grief Seeds. I guess I can kinda see what she's talking 'bout... She did it to protect Madoka, I think. Maybe she thought we couldn't handle that Witch. Whatever happened to that either way? But, more importantly...

"Why are you just letting her off the hook like that?! She tried to kill you, and if I hadn't..." Wait, I probably shouldn't tell her 'bout that.

"We're fine and we even got some Grief Seeds out of it. Attacking her for what she did wouldn't help either of us, if that Witch is so strong we'll need her help. And... I don't feel in the right mood for another fight. The atmosphere here is really calming right now..." Hm, Sayaka is right 'bout that. It feels somewhat soothing, now that I think 'bout that. I should probably try to calm down as well...

"Mh, so that's why. Well, we can take care of it as soon as we're done with that Walpurgisnacht thing. And Kyubey?" I wonder if it's back.

"Yes?" Seems so...

"Fuck you. Seriously, fuck you! You were behind this, weren't you?! You tricked us and got Homura to come here!" Homura is still at fault for what she did, but that little fucker...

"What are you talking about? She came here out of her own free will, to fight the Witch. What she did was her decision alone." That's true, but it still pitted her against us!

"So, where's that Witch you were talking 'bout? I don't see any." Homura seems to be just as upset as I am. It doesn't even change its expression, I want to kill...

"I don't know. I assumed that there was a Witch and I told you about it. I had no way of knowing, I couldn't enter this place. It could have been a problem for all of you, so I informed you." I'm pretty damn sure it's lying. It definitely didn't just inform us of this place, it fed us information to provoke Homura into fighting us! I'm gonna talk to her 'bout all of this, but I'm way too pissed at her to do that right now...

"Sure you did. Just... just fuck off. I don't wanna see your stupid face anywhere close to us if we don't call, alright?" It just walks behind a cabinet and presumably vanishes...

"I've been had... It told me that this Witch would be stronger than even Walpurgisnacht."  
*Sigh* I should've known, we were playing right into its hands... but I didn't have any time to think 'bout it, back then. We almost ended up killing each other, but Sayaka somehow managed to stop us. I guess I should be glad, we could both be dead right now if she hadn't taken care of Homura...

"As I said, don't worry about it. We're going to fight that Walpurgisnacht, together. And we're going to win." Sayaka looks strangely cheerful, for someone who almost died just now. She's still sitting there, in front of the sarcophagus. I guess there's nothing left to do here...

"I hope so, and I'm really sorry for what I did. I thought you were going to get this city destroyed before Walpurgisnacht even arrived." I can understand her reason, but I still hate her for that. For what she almost did to me, and reliving this moment... it was worse than when my family died. They were already dead when I arrived, but seeing her die... There was something far worse to it. She was alive and I couldn't do anything...

"Well, just talk to us next time before attacking us. Let's just forget about this ever happening, alright? We have more important stuff to think about." I guess that's true, if we keep arguing that's only gonna help Kyubey. "Well then, Kyouko... let's go home. Homura, you'll clean up the mess you made, right?" Hehe, I like the sounds of that.

"I'll see what I can do..." She deserves something worse, but this'll have to do, for now.

"So, ya coming, or what?" I look down at Sayaka, she's still just sitting there. She seems to be a little bit embarrassed, I think...

"Ah, you see... I can't actually stand up right now..." Oh... that's a bit of a problem, I guess.

"Oh, so that's it. I guess I'll have to help you up." I extend my hand to her, she seems to have some trouble taking it. When she finally does I pull her up, she staggers a lot...

"Um, I... I don't think this is going to work... we should wait for a little longer." She almost falls down as soon as I let go of her! I catch her just in time, but walking is outta the question...

"What would you do without me? *Sigh* Whatever, I'll just have to carry ya. C'mon, hold onto my shoulder." I turn around and lift her up, her arms just fall over my shoulder. I got her legs under my arms, this should work. The whole blood on her is sticky as hell, I can even smell it... but there's no helping it.

"W-what are you doing?! I... I just need a little more time and I'll..." She tenses up for a moment, then she relaxes again. It really feels weird, she's a little bit too tall for me to carry...

"It's alright, don't worry 'bout it. You carried me back after that night when we went out, right? This is just payback, don't sweat it." I don't remember that much of that night, but I'm pretty sure she wasn't that hesitant 'bout carrying me. It's kinda cute, actually... or rather, really cute. I want to see her face right now so bad...

"W-well, alright then... so, what are we waiting for?" I get going, she's bouncing up and down on my back... it feels kinda good, but also really awkward...

"Ain't my fault you're that heavy." She moves her fist and gives me a really weak punch, I guess that's the best she can do right now...

"You jerk, let me down right now! I'll just crawl back if I have to! I'm actually watching my figure, unlike someone else here!" Hehe, totally worth it. I get some really embarrassed feelings from her, this is wonderful~

...

**Author's note**

...

Ah, finally, another chapter. Really Kyouko-centric, this was gonna be the actual ending, though without Sayaka coming back or Kyouko managing to reach her. But I guess we're all happy this way, right? Or maybe it's all just an illusion Kyouko made up while dying/turning into a Witch? Hehe, who knows~?


	13. Crime and punishment

**Sayaka's POV**

...

"So, we're still going to fight that Walpurgisnacht, yeah?" As if there was a choice.

"We'll have to. I bet it won't just go away if we ask it to." Though I don't think I'm in any condition to fight right now... I can't even walk on my own. It's really strange, it almost feels... as if the connection to my body fails. I try to lift my right arm, but it's barely moving... At least the pain stopped, after I woke up again. I don't know what Kyouko did, but it worked. Maybe she had some Grief Seeds left.

"Mhm, it won't be that simple. But is this town really worth it?" Huh?

"What do you mean?" Is this town... worth it? I don't understand what she's getting at.

"Let me be honest here. I don't think this town is worth risking our lives for. There's nothing worth protecting here, is there? We could just take your dad, pack your things and leave." That's... is she really...?

"I can't judge the value of this city and its inhabitants. There are thousands of people here, some of which are very dear to me. And even if there weren't... I'd still stay here and fight it. Those people don't stand a chance on their own. We have a chance of winning and saving everyone, so we absolutely have to try it." Still, I have no intention of dying, no matter how powerful that Witch is.

"Hehe... you're really naive, y'know? I kinda missed that, it's refreshing. Not too long ago you'd have..." I... I would have probably agreed with her. The people of this town, they aren't all kind and just. There are terrible people here as well, but even so...

"If that's naive I wouldn't want to be any different. And even if it would get me killed... I would die doing the right thing, not having anything to regret. If I just ran away and this town was destroyed... I could never forgive myself if we didn't even try. This town is where I grew up, it holds all of my precious memories... My memories with Madoka, my dad... even Hitomi, and of course Kamijou-kun... and my memories with you." I didn't realise it before, but this town is very important to me.

"Sure, just keep being you. Wouldn't want ya any other way. So, what's the plan for now?" We're back home already...

"Just put me down and get the key. It's in the breast pocket of my t-shirt." I usually keep it in my uniform, but I'm not wearing that for dangerous stuff or when there's no school. Those are pretty expensive... reminds me that I should order a new one.

"Y-your... your breast pocket?" Hm?

"Yes, that's what I just said. Just take it out and open the door." She falls silent for a moment...

"W-well... if you really need me to... I guess I can... um, of course!" Huh? What's up with her? She's acting pretty strange. She finally puts me down and looks at me... "Is this really alright with you?"

"I asked you to do it, so why shouldn't it? Go ahead, take it. I... I can't, not right now. So I'll have to... I'll have to rely on you, alright?" It's really embarrassing for me, not being able to do even this. I try to lift my arms again, they just fall back down uselessly after a moment...

"I-, is that so... yeah... I mean, yeah! I'll do my best, so don't mind if I..." She's slowly leaning over, her hand seems to be shaking a little bit. Is she that nervous about it? She did it back when I was having fun with Madoka, but even then it was pretty... Hm.

"What are you waiting for? I need to get back in there already, just make sure dad isn't there." I really wouldn't want him to see what my life is going to be like... I know that I might get hurt again, it can't be helped. But even so, my clothes and body are covered in so much half-dried blood... the wounds all closed, but I'll have to try to wash these clothes as soon as possible. It will take me forever to get it out of my hair...

"In the left one?" She points to the pocket, I just nod. She finally slides her hand in and quickly pulls out the key, as if she was getting burned... At least the key wasn't covered by blood, with a little bit of luck my purse will be fine as well. *Sigh* I messed it up, again... that seems to be all I'm doing lately. I got us into this mess in the first place because I couldn't take care of my worthless self... she should've just left me behind and moved on, she had more than enough opportunities.

"Thanks... could you take me to the bathroom and turn on the water?" She just picks me up again, she's so strong... I will keep dragging her down, won't I? If only I could just stop, I'm tired of it... but I can't even do that on my own. If I just did it... I'd hurt her even more than I already did. Why can't I be as strong as I always wanted to be, or else just disappear...? I'm useless. I can't fight, I can't cheer her up, I made Madoka cry... not to mention all the things I supposedly messed up in all those other timelines.

"What's wrong, Sayaka? You alright?" Hehe... she's asking me if I'm alright... that's pretty pathetic. I should be there for her, not the other way around. I'm crying about all those little things while she manages to go on after losing everything she ever cared about... she even seems to think it was her fault. I wish I could just take that burden from her and vanish with it, I don't deserve any of the things she did for me...

"Well, I'm as low as I could be, I guess. On the bright side, it can only go up from here, right?" Our Soul Gem was clean, so these are my real thoughts... not some tainted voices from withdrawal symptoms. Kyouko would probably be sad if she heard any of that... I just bury my head in her soft red hair, I wish there was something I could do to make it up to her. But what could I do? I can heal her if she gets hurt, but that's just about it...

"Heh, I'd say you've been lower than this. C'mon, cheer up already. You just can't move for a bit, that ain't too bad. You'll probably be prancing 'round and never shut up 'bout justice and so on tomorrow, right?" I guess that's how she sees me... not that there was much more to see. I'm just a hypocrite that way. I make big speeches about justice and the right things to do, but I can't even do it myself... if only it was just my dead body, I would...

"Yes, you're right, of course..." She opens the bathroom, puts me down and turns on the water. I slowly unbutton my shirt, though it's really difficult. I'll have to clean that as well. Or rather, I wish I could... I'll have to ask Kyouko, even for that. This is a new low, no matter how I look at it. It feels degrading and pathetic, me, asking her for anything... I need to be strong, for her. I couldn't care less about what happened to me, but she would be sad if she knew I was... I want to make her believe in those things again. Kyouko turns around to look at me.

"There, all done. Anything else ya need help wi-?" She quickly spins around again, I wonder what's wrong? I slowly take off my shorts, though I can barely raise my hips...

"It's alright, that should be all for now. Maybe you could clean up any blood outside and make some ramen or something like that, I don't think I can cook today..." Even that... there's absolutely nothing I can do right now. Even when I'm healthy, there's still so little I can do... I can cook and try to show her the right way, but I'm not the right person for that. I wish Mami-san was still around, I bet she could do that much better than me. She wasn't some weak hypocrite, but she wasted her life to save me... well, I guess she rather did it for Madoka, in the end. But if I had made my stupid wish sooner...

"Ah, alright... Just call me if ya need anything else." She hurries out of the room, I wonder what's wrong with her... maybe she's embarrassed for me as well. I take off my bra and boxer shorts, now I just have to get in... I hold onto the edge of the bathtub with all my might and pull... just to fall down a second later. I try it again... and again... Damn it! Just this little, I have to be able to... I can't feel any pain as I fall again and again, though it really hurts what little pride I have left.

I finally manage to pull myself over the edge, though I almost can't get my head out after getting in... maybe I shouldn't? Just... just drift around and... no! That's not a possibility! That would just be weak again... I'd take the easy way out. I have to start... taking the hard way. Maybe I'm an idiot, and a hypocrite, and weak, and so many other bad things... but that won't change if I just continue pitying myself for it! Alright, that's it! Go, Magical Girl Sayaka-chan~!

I've got to get it together. Not for myself, but for Kyouko. For her... and everyone else. I push myself up and turn off the water, though it takes more than one try. It's pretty nice and warm, though I think it should feel warmer... no matter. It's just my body, I don't care if it's freezing or boiling. It's dead either way, even if Kyouko doesn't seem to believe it. Sure, it still works just fine... but the second the Soul Gem is too far away it reveals its true nature.

I slowly get off the blood, though it's really difficult... the water is turning a little bit red as well, though most of it is already dried. Well, all the easier to remove. Though it was a lot of blood... I guess I'll have to drink a lot. My body healed, but I don't think magic can generate blood. I'll have to keep my body in shape, even if it's already dead. As long as I can move it... I can continue fighting. That's my responsibility, after all.

I didn't know half of it back then, when I made the contract... but my feelings haven't changed. I still want to protect innocent people. I want to protect everyone. Madoka, Kamijou-kun, dad... even Hitomi. But most of all... Kyouko. She needs it the most. Fighting isn't the problem, she's still better at it than me. But other than that... I have to help her. She sometimes seems so lost, in spite of her tough attitude.

I'm not the person she needs or deserves, but still... I'll keep her company, until she finds that person. And if she doesn't... I'll just have to stay with her until the very end. I guess that's a fitting punishment for a failed hero like me... I really hope she'll find a person who will feel the same about her. I don't think I'll ever find someone like that, maybe love just wasn't meant for me... That's probably fine as well.

I stare down into the water, it looks much deeper and darker than it should... but I don't mind. It's beautiful, it reminds me of the ocean. It feels as if I could just lose myself in it... just let go and forget all this... it almost feels familiar. Like a lullaby, somehow nostalgic. Music...

"Yesterday~" Somehow I feel like singing and that song just came to mind. "all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh I believe in yesterday... Suddenly, I'm not half the girl I used to be. There's a shadow hanging over me. Oh yesterday, came suddenly..." That's it... *Sigh* Exactly what I need, some music and songs. I'm not that great at English, but I like a lot of English songs.

"Why she had to go, I don't know, she wouldn't say. I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday... Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play. Now I need a place to hide away... oh I believe, in yesterday." Hehe, I'm feeling a little bit embarrassed now... but it feels really good. Besides, it's not going to bother anyone, right? Ah, how I missed this feeling. It's as if a dark veil was suddenly lifted, I feel so much clearer now.

I just continue singing, song after song in a low voice. I'm really getting into it again~ I'll put on a CD as soon as I get back to my room, that should help. Though it's really nice in the water as well... *Sigh* Well, I'm not done cleaning myself up either way. I get back to it, though I can't reach my legs or back... I'll just stay in here some more, relaxing and singing while listening to the calming sounds of the water.

My skin is getting so wrinkly... but I don't care. I guess I never really paid that much attention to things like that, maybe that's why he likes Hitomi better... I bet he's never even seen her without make-up. I can't help laughing a little at that image, Hitomi after a sleep-over. She looks all proper and refined at school, but as soon as the make-up comes off... well, I shouldn't blame her for that. I hope she can make him happy... Suddenly the door opens!

"Um, Kyouko? I-, is something wrong?" She looks a little bit strange, almost as if she doesn't know what she's doing... "Hey, Kyouko! What's the matter?" She's behaving really strange right now. She just moves behind me, I can't see what she's doing there. "Now really isn't the time for pranks. Would you tell me what's going on now or are you just going to stay there?" I try to move my head around, but I still can't see her...

"Just... go on. I want more..." Huh? More...?

"What are you talking about? Are you alright?" I finally manage to turn myself to my stomach, she really seems to be out of it...

"Sing more for me, please." Oh, she heard that. That's a little bit embarrassing...

"I'm no good at singing, so I rather wouldn't..." Madoka always insisted I have a great singing voice, but she was probably just being nice. Besides, singing in front of someone else is really embarrassing as well.

"Just continue, please..." She really wants me to... *Sigh* I guess it can't be helped.

"Geez, fine... just don't laugh at me, alright?" I think for a moment, what song should I sing? I don't think Kyouko knows English, so that should still be the least embarrassing. "I can see how you are beautiful, can you feel my eyes on you? I'm shy and turn my head away. Working late at diner Citylight, I see that you get home alright, make sure that you can't see me hoping you will see me~" I think I'm turning red, Kyouko just stares at me intensely...

"Yeah, more..." She sighs, somehow she seems to be completely entranced...

"Sometimes I'm wondering why you look me and you blink your eye, you can't be acting like my Dana... can't you? And... I don't remember what's next." Or rather, I don't want to remember what's next, even if she can't understand it... Just what is her problem either way?! If she really wanted me to sing... couldn't she ask me some other time? I mean, right now is... it's really... *Sigh* This just isn't the place or time for singing. She seemed to be far more uncomfortable before, but now she's practically staring at my face. I avoid her eyes...

"Then, something else?" Did she suddenly discover her love for romantic songs or what? I didn't think she'd be into music like that. I could have sworn she'd call me silly, naive and a lot of other uncomplimentary things if I told her. "Come on, please sing." Her eyes look slightly darkened and I think she's getting closer... should I be worried?

"All around me are familiar faces, worn out places, worn out faces. Bright and early for their daily races, going nowhere, going nowhere. Their tears are filling up their glasses, no expression, no expression. Hide my head, I want to drown my sorrow, no tomorrow, no tomorrow. And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad. The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had~" Maybe that's a little dark, on second thought. Kyouko also looks a little bit depressed now...

"More..."

"Hey, what's wrong with you anyways? You're acting really strange all of a sudden." She's gotten closer again, now her nose is almost touching mine... Suddenly I lose my grip and slide back down into the water! I can't get...

"Sayaka! Are ya alright?!" *Cough* Ugh... I swallowed some water... Kyouko is pulling me up by my shoulders, she finally seems to have come to...

"Yeah, I'm fine... but what was that all about?" She just blinks and gives me a weird look.

"What was what all 'bout? What're ya talking 'bout?" Doesn't she...?

"You barged in all of a sudden and demanded that I'd sing for you. That was really weird..." She seems to be doing fine now.

"Can't remember anything like that. Though I can't remember why I'm here... try it again?" Singing...? Does she think that was the cause?

"Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Remember me, to one who lives there. She once was a true love of mine. Tell her to make me a cambric shirt. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Without no seams, nor needle work. Then she'll be a true love of mine. Tell her to find me an acre of land. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Between the salt water and sea strands. Then she'll be a true love of mine~" She's looking at me that way again... I force my hand up and splash a bit of water to her face.

"What was that for?!" It's almost as if she was hypnotised by it... I guess I should stop singing when she's around. I have no idea why it's happening, but apparently it does.

"You were acting weird again..."

"Whatcha talking 'bout? Try it aga-"

"I just tried it again! So no, no more trying again. Anyways, could you help me... clean up my..." I just trail off, this is just too embarrassing...

"Huh? What is it? If ya need anything, just ask. I'd do anything for you!" Wha-!? Geez, that somehow sounded... really weird. Strangely cheerful, but also very innocent. I guess she's still a child, deep down inside.

"Could you... clean my legs and back for me? I can't... reach there..." I could die of embarrassment... but I don't really have a choice, do I? I'd just end up getting my bed and clothes dirty if she didn't...

"Um, your... your... I don't..." She's stuttering a lot, all of a sudden... That's totally unlike her. Maybe she isn't quite out of it yet.

"I... kind of need your help. I can't reach my legs and back like this... so I'd appreciate it if you... you know?" This is far worse for me, she just has to take the scrubber and get off the blood. I don't mind it so much that I'm naked (though I do mind that), it's rather... I feel completely worthless if I can't even do that. And Kyouko is definitely one of the persons I least wanted to see me like this...

"Oh... Um, yeah, sure..." I can't read her expression, she just takes the scrubber I weakly hold out for her. Then she starts scrubbing my back, that should take care of it. It's kinda nice, actually. Maybe this isn't all that bad, after all~ It's still pretty embarrassing, but it could be worse. I mean, we are friends and I used to do that with Madoka as well. It's pretty normal, after all. Though Kyouko seems to be even more embarrassed...

"Hey, you said you used to do that with your little sister all of the time, right? You even pulled me into the bath the other day. So what's wrong now?" She hesitates for a moment, than she continue scrubbing.

"It's nothing..." As if. Something really seems to bother her, though I have no idea what it is. Maybe she's still shocked because of what happened at the museum... Well, it was just me, after all. If she could go on after losing her family like that... Then again, she seemed to be really angry. We barely know each other, but she really seems to care for me. I don't really get it, what does she see in me? I'm just pathetic...

"You don't have to worry about it, just tell me." I try to turn around a little bit, though it's still really difficult. I can't ask Kyouko for something like that, that would be too much... I finally manage to do it, she's just looking away.

"I said it's nothing! Just forget 'bout it!" She's acting so childish again...

"You wouldn't be this upset if it was nothing, right? I don't mind, you can just say it. Are you alright?" She looks really red, but maybe it's just because of the steam. Or maybe she caught a cold...

"What is it you wanna hear?! Why do ya have to tempt me like this?! Do you really wanna hear that I... I want to... ki-..." Huh?

"You want to do what?"

"Ki-... ki-... y'know like before? Um, no, just forget about it! Let's just stop this already!" I can already guess what she was going to say...

"If you want to kill me... I guess that's fine with me. I'm really useless and just make things worse for you." I close my eyes and let my head fall back, offering her my throat. "Go ahead, I don't mind. I really enjoyed our time together, it was more than what I could have asked for. It's alright if you want to..."

"No! Why do you always have to be such an idiot?!" *Slap* Huh? She just slapped my face... "It's nothing like that! Please stop that already..."

"I know I'm useless, you don't have to deny it. You'd be better off without me. I'm simply the worst..." All the things I did to her... we only knew each other for a short time, but I hurt her so often. I think she must hate me...

"No, you're not useless! I hate it whenever you talk about yourself like that! Just stop it already. You're not useless or bad..." She gently strokes my hair, I look up at her. She looks really sad... "So stop saying and thinking stuff like that! It hurts, not just you, but also everyone around you. Sure, you have your flaws, but you still tried your best! So please, keep on trying... For my sake, if not for your own."

"What are you saying? I'm really useless, this world would be better off without hypocrites like me. You wou-" She covers my mouth with her hand and moves her head closer to mine...

"No, you aren't! Sayaka, I need you! Why can't you just understand that already?! Please, stop saying those awful things already... I used to admire your naive attitude and your talks about justice and all that. Are you telling me that was all just a lie?! Isn't that what you believe in?!" I... don't know. Part of it might have been true, but...

_It probably wasn't... I told myself I believed it, maybe I even did at some point... but I was just deceiving myself. I just wanted to be loved, I used justice and all that as an excuse..._ She looks about ready to cry, I hurt her yet again...

"That's a lie! Maybe you don't remember, but I sure do! You spoke 'bout that stuff with real passion, just like dad used to... no, even more so! You stayed true to what you believed in, and I don't wanna hear you say anything else again! You were misguided, yeah... but that you blame yourself this much is proof enough for me, if you really were as bad as you say you wouldn't do that. There are tons of people that love you, you'd just have to realise it already!" Huh? She finally removes her hand.

"Who are you talking about? I didn't bring anything but misfortune to any-" And there she goes again...

"Just take a look around ya for a change! There's Madoka, she cared for you just as much after everything you've said! And your father, he'd really miss ya. And... and..." She just trails off. "There's also... I mean... Just forget it!" And she storms out of the bathroom. What was this all about? *Sigh* I really don't get her. She does seem to care for me, for whatever reason... though I can't see any of the things she seems to see in me.

Maybe that's the problem. If it really hurts her when I talk about myself like that... I probably should stop doing that in front of her. It's alright if she doesn't notice it. I really don't want to be even more of a bother for her. She has any right to hate me, yet she doesn't. I should probably be grateful for that, that there's even one person who still believes in me. Even if I don't... and she wasn't wrong about the things she said either.

Madoka and dad... they also believe in me. I have to keep going, until I really can't go any further. For their sake, for those who would still believe in me... just a little bit further. It probably won't be long now. Walpurgisnacht is just around the corner, if it's related to the date... it will be in three days. Just three more days, it's much sooner than I'd like. But maybe it's better this way. Then it will be over, one way or another...

...

**Homura's POV**

...

I took care of most of it, to the best of my abilities. I picked the locks, took care of the security system and shattered some of the cabinets, took some of the exhibits... it will look like a common burglary. I can't repair anything, so destroying more seems to be the only option. It almost reminds me of the timelines I reset, only to cause them to fail in some way...

I still don't understand what exactly was going on here... I just now someone played me for a fool. And who that someone was...

"You were lying, weren't you?"

"No, I wasn't. I didn't lie, I was unable to sense what was inside of the sarcophagus. Her becoming a Witch was the most likely conclusion." It's still the same as always...

"Perhaps lying wasn't the correct term... you were pitting me against them. You made it look as if there was no other possibility than killing them." I should have simply killed it again. Not that it would matter, but listening to its advice... I think I'm going crazy.

"I didn't do anything of that nature. I simply gave you my assessment of the situation. You were the one who attacked them. Or was it Miki Sayaka?" Maybe it really couldn't tell what was going on... but that doesn't change the facts.

"You still made me draw the conclusion-"

"I didn't tell you what to do. I simply told you that the sarcophagus contained incredible magical power. I couldn't get close to it because of the barrier, so I told you to investigate it instead." It certainly wasn't trying to prevent this outcome... "More importantly, it's gone. And so is whatever was inside of it." Wha-?! I stop time and immediately run towards the sarcophagus! It's... it's open!

"What is the meaning of this?!" Where is the Witch?!

_Too late, I reckon._ Who...?

_Who's there?!_

_Lady Messelah is what they used to call me. You're looking for the one who was sealed here, weren't you?_ Where is her voice coming from?

_Kyubey, what is going on here?_ I wait for it to answer, but it doesn't appear...

_No need to call it, it can't hear you. I prefer my conversations in private._ If she can prevent Kyubey from appearing... she has to be rather powerful. I will just stall her and try to think of a plan, for the time being.

_I was. What happened here?_ The sarcophagus wasn't opened before, not once... some sort of strange contraction, that's what it read in the article. Yet here it is, open as an abyss...

_The blood you shed... it was strong enough to break the seal. Quite a mess you made here. _The blood? There really... there isn't any blood on it!

_How is this even possible?! Where did it go?_ I was going to clean it up, but... it's as if there hadn't been a single drop of blood!

_As I said, it broke the seal. It should have been enough to... never mind. This is of no concern to you. Shouldn't you rather worry about your friend?_ Is she talking about Sayaka?

_They were hardly my friends._ I don't exactly like Sayaka, there's no denying it. Still, what I did was...

_Oh, not those two... don't you understand?_ Understand...?

_What are you getting at?_ She can't mean...

_What was she called? Something like... ah, I just can't remember. Well, names are of little concern for me. The one you wanted to help, pink hair, naive... Yet too late again. Amusing, isn't it? Being able to stop and turn back time, yet always too late._ That... Madoka!

_You can't mean..._ She promised she wouldn't...!

_I do. Not that it concerns me, though it might be of some concern to you..._ She has to be lying! I stop time again, I have to hurry! Maybe it's not- _As I said, you're too late._ What...?

_I... I'm stopping time! You aren't close to me, so you shouldn't..._

_be able to interact with me?_ Who is she?! _Don't worry about my humble self. Wasn't there something you wanted to do?._

She is right, for once... I have to hurry! Madoka, please...

...

Here I am... her home. She should be asleep right now, but there's still light in her room. I jump up to her window, that's...

"Homura-chan! Um, I... I... I'm sorry." She did it again! Why?!

"Madoka, you promised! You said you definitely wouldn't... that you wouldn't..." How could she do this to me?!

"Ah, Akemi-san... it's you." Mami... so that's why...

"You shouldn't have done that... you really shouldn't have..." This timeline is doomed, I failed again! How many more times do I have to do this?! How many times will I have to...

"I'm really sorry, Homura-chan... but I couldn't just sit in my room and do nothing! I want to help you and Sayaka-chan... and Kyouko-chan, and Mami-san... I can't just let everyone die because I'm too scared to do anything! So, from now on... I will fight together with everyone. I'm still scared, and I don't want to fight... but I can't let everyone down. I hope you understand it, Homura-chan..." Mami just sits there, so that was it...

"This was Miki-san's doing... wasn't it?! She told you to do that!" I should have killed her when I had the chance to! Way before any of this happened, before she even became a Magical Girl! Now it's too late, just because I was hesitating...

"No, it wasn't! She... she told me I shouldn't. She told me it wouldn't help... but I can't just keep doing nothing while all of you risking your lives! That's why... we will do this, together. All of us. We will fight that Witch, and we're going to win. Please, Homura-chan..." This timeline... it's doomed already. Why?!

"If that's true... you should have listened to her, just this once!" For something this stupid...

"Calm down, Akemi-san. Madoka already explained the current situation to me. And she is right, we will win. No matter how strong that Walpurgisnacht is, it won't be able to win against all of us. Especially if Kyouko will fight with us..." They also have a history together, but it rarely mattered. Kyouko usually didn't even arrive before she died, if she came at all. Though her staying also seems to be related to Miki-san...

"You see, Homura-chan? We're all going to do our best and work together. I won't run away anymore and I'll not just cover in fear while others protect me and get hurt. Even if it's scary, even if it hurts... you can't bear that burden all alone. So please, rely on me as well..." She still seems to be insecure about her decision, but it's too late either way. No turning back...

"You're right... I won't run away either. I will stay with you, no matter what." She just hugs me, she seems to be really happy. If only this could last forever... just Madoka and me, like this... I guess I'll have to win this time.

"It seems as though a lot of things happened while I was... gone. Madoka already explained most of it to me, though she didn't know too much either. We should discuss this matter, this time you can't just send her away." She just had to ruin this moment for me... but she has a pint. Since Madoka is a Magical Girl as well now... I will have to explain it to both of them. Though I wonder what happened back at the museum... well, that can wait.

...

**Sayaka's POV**

...

*Sigh* I finally got out of the bathtub and dressed. Great, now I'm all wrinkled... At least I can move again, more or less. Standing on my own feet is still a little bit difficult, but I'm getting there. I can't stay this weak, I have to be strong. I was dragging her down long enough... it's time for me to pay her back. No more negative thinking, no more blame or harm! I just have to look at the good things. I have so much more than she had, yet I'm always complaining... that won't do.

She told me all of those things, even when it had to hurt her... but I never took the time to think about it. I guess now is as good a time as any to get started. She told me about her family, a little bit about her life on her own... but what can I tell her? I want to tell her more, to show her things about myself the way she did... but I'm not really sure about how. Well, she'd just ask if she wanted to know.

"Hey, Kyouko?" Figures, she's in the kitchen...

"Yo, how're ya? I've prepared some ramen. Sure, it ain't anything fancy... but hey, better than nothing, right?" It smells great, even if it's just ramen. I guess I'm pretty hungry... though it's nothing compared to how thirsty I am.

"Could you give me some water?" She just nods and gets me a pot filled with water. I don't even bother to wait for a glass, I just drink and drink... I guess I was a lot thirstier than I noticed. Though I did begin to notice it, so it had to be pretty urgent. I almost downed the whole thing in one go... Kyouko takes it from my hands again and refills it, I'm really happy to have her right now.

"Damn, you could've told me before taking a bath and everything... Anyways, you're probably hungry as well, right?" The table is already laid and in the middle is a small pot with steaming ramen. I guess it's alright to eat things like that, every once in a while.

"I guess so. Thanks for the meal!" I help myself to some of it, though I feel exhausted. It looks pretty good, even with some boiled eggs. She actually did give it some effort. Apparently it's supposed to taste like beef, though that's a bit of a stretch... Kyouko is staring at me expectantly, I guess she wants to be praised. "Thanks, it's pretty good." And she's smiling brightly... she really is pretty cute, at least sometimes.

"Well, don't mention it. It's just some ramen anyways." Hehe, she might say so, but she sure looks happy. Even if she tries to hide it. That makes me happy as well, at least there's something even I can do. Even if it's something so little, as long as she's happy... I'll be happy for her as well. That should be enough, right? Even if it's nothing compared to the things she had to experience... I'll give her as much as I have.

"Really, thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you. You're a really nice person, at least after getting to know you. Maybe a little bit rough around the edges, but you always meant well, didn't you?" I lift up the bowl again, I guess my body was really hungry.

"Not really... I'm still egoistical and all that. I won't go out of my way to hurt someone without reason, at least not intentionally... but I won't go out of my way to help just about anyone either. You... it was more of a coincidence, really." She doesn't seem to like that very much, even if it's true. I don't think she's a bad person any longer, not at all. She's just... traumatised by it all, I think.

"Well, if you say so..." Suddenly I lose the strength in my arms again and the bowl almost falls off the table...

"I told you not to waste any damn food, didn't I!?" Kyouko looks pretty upset, though she quickly calms down again. "Well, I guess you couldn't help it and it didn't spill... still, that won't do." She stands up and gets next to me, what is she up to now? She lifts the bowl and... "Here, eat." Wha-... what?! Is she seriously...

"Um, that's really embarrassing... I can do that on my own, that just now was just..."

"Nope, I won't let you waste any food. So I'll just have to feed ya 'til it's fine again." *Sigh* I know how stubborn she's when it comes to food... I guess I'll have to let her... feed me. This is so humiliating... "Sayaka, let me be serious for once, alright? You always ask me to rely on you... so I want you to rely on me as well. There's nothing to be ashamed of. You can't do it right now, so let me take care of you 'til you can. Please..."

"Still, this is..." It feels wrong, having to ask for help for something like that. Pathetic, humiliating...

"No buts. I do rely on you... so you hafta rely one me as well. Even after this is over. I want ya to rely on me, as much as I'm relying on you." I guess there's no point in arguing... though it's actually the other way around.

"You know... it's always like this. I'm the one relying on you. I took so much from you, yet I need even more... that's why I didn't want to ask for help. I wanted to help you, to make you stop worrying... I wanted to let you live carefree and happy for as long as I could. Yet I'm always the one causing you even more harm..." She puts down the bowl again and looks me straight in the eyes.

"Sayaka... it wouldn't hurt me if I didn't care 'bout ya. It often hurts 'cause I care. But you already gave me a bunch of great things. I don't care 'bout the house or the video games, though I do like that stuff as well. You gave me a home, not a house. I wouldn't mind living out in the streets, if you were with me. You're where my home is, alright?" Sheesh, saying something this embarrassing out of the blue...

"I... I guess I get it. This place really feels a bit more like home since you moved in. I'm happy that you appreciate me so much... but I don't always want to be a burden for you, even if you wouldn't mind it. I want to be the one helping you with your burden, not the other way around..." She just hugs me, I return the gesture as well as I can.

"Y'know, you already took a bunch from those painful memories from me. I still remember it all, but it ain't hurting so much anymore. I barely had any nightmares since I started living here. But... if ya really wanna help... I think there's something. Something only you could do." Huh?

"What is it? If it's something I can do I'll be happy to help you." I wonder what it is, something only I could do...?

"You see... you could... I mean, I already kinda did, so if you wouldn't mind..." She's just trailing off, though she's still hugging me.

"Come on, you can tell me."

"You could... enter my soul." ...

"Enter... your soul? What are you talking about?" How would I even do that...?

"I... I want you to enter my soul. I already kinda slipped into yours before, so it shouldn't be too difficult for you to enter mine..." She pulls back a little bit and looks me in the eyes. She seems to be pretty insecure about this, not that I'd feel any different...

"You mean... you were actually in my soul?!" I... really don't know how I should feel about that. I guess it didn't change anything, but... there's so much I wouldn't want her to see...

"Well, yeah. The first time I entered by accident, and the other time... it was back in the museum, when you almost... died. I had to, in order to save ya. I'm feeling bad 'bout not telling you before, but... oh well, now I did. It'd only be fair if you entered my world in return, right?" I guess that makes sense, in a way. Though I'm really not sure about this...

"Well, we could probably try it. I mean, if you'd let me... But could you tell me what it was like first?" I'm a little bit curious about that, my soul...

"Kinda scary, I guess. But it ain't something I could describe, it was really weird... well, you'll probably see for yourself, if you'd still wanna try." I just nod, though it's still something very personal for me... well, she probably didn't have much of a choice, at that time. "Alright, but I'll have to warn ya in advance. In there you'll probably... meet my Witch." What...?

"What are you talking about...? I mean, your Witch...? Are you telling me you turned already and this is just... what?!" I don't understand, that's just...

"I guess there're some more bad news for ya... we all have one inside of us. From the second we enter a contract. But don't worry, it doesn't mean we're gonna turn all of a sudden. We'll be fine, if we keep our Soul Gem clean." That's just... if I knew any of that...

"I'm regretting entering a contract with Kyubey more than ever... wasn't turning us into zombies enough?! Why would he do that?!" That's just...

"Hehe, I guess you've got a point. Anyways, would you still... you know?" *Sigh* I guess it isn't too bad, compared to everything else that was going on so far. We might turn into Witches eventually either way, so it might make some sense that we're already Witches...

"Fine. Just tell me what to do..." Kyubey didn't tell us about this... so he probably didn't want us to know. If that's the case it's probably better if we try it. I'm really done with him...

"You just... I dunno. I think you've gotta focus on entering my part of our Soul Gem. Though I should probably warn you, just in case... it could get pretty bad. You're not gonna be able to use your powers in there, you're gonna be at its mercy. Don't try to provoke it or whatever. I ain't got no clue what it's gonna be like, I can only tell ya that it could be bad." Not really helpful, but it's probably better than nothing...

"Alright... let's do this." She trusted me enough to do it for me... so it's about time I learned to trust her as well.

"If you're really sure 'bout this... fine. That girl who helped us back then... she said we'd have to do this, to stay alive and sane. But only if you really want to..." *Sigh* i don't really have a choice either way, after hearing that...

"It's better than becoming Witches, that much goes without saying. I don't really know about that girl, but I'd rather trust her than Kyubey." I'm still nervous about doing this, I mean... those are our souls, for crying out loud! But if Kyouko wants this...

"Just be careful in there, alright? I couldn't stand it, to lose ya 'cause of... 'cause of..." I think I understand her, at least a little bit. I'll have to be careful not to hurt her again.

"I get it, I'll take care. So, how does it work?" She finally lets go of me, though she does so reluctantly...

"Let's go to your room, I think I've gotta be asleep for this to work. Just wait 'til I fall asleep and then focus on my part." She takes out our Soul Gem and gives it to me, it looks so bright right now...

"Fine. Though I guess it's our room now..." I'm getting used to this faster than I thought. All of this, living together with her, life as a Magical Girl... I'm feeling as if we'd done this for years already. Even these crazy new things... it doesn't surprise or bother me as much as it probably should.

"Yeah, I guess so. Our room..." She goes on ahead and I just follow her. Dad seems to be out, probably working or something along those lines. She just turns off the lights and lies down on our bed, our Soul Gem is the only source of light now... "Well, good night or something like that..." Kyouko actually seems to be pretty tired... I guess that's to be expected. After everything that happened tonight...

"Nennen korori yo, Okorori yo. Bōya wa yoi ko da, Nenne shina~" This time there doesn't seem to be any problem with my singing... it seems to calm her. "Bōya no omori wa, Doko e itta? Ano yama koete, Sato e itta." I stroke her head a little bit and keep singing. "Sato no miyage ni, Nani morotta? Denden taiko ni, Shō no fue." I just keep repeating it a couple of times, Kyouko really seems to be about to fall asleep.

I wonder what this is about... do my songs really influence her that much or is it just a coincidence? Probably not. Maybe I should try it on some other people, just to be sure. If it really works... well, it's not as if I'd ever sing in public either way, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. And in private... I'm fine with just listening to music, I don't have to sing. Kyouko really seems to be fast asleep now...

She said I should just focus on our Soul Gem, right? Well, it's worth a try. I have to be careful not to wake her up, she deserves some rest. Huh? I think I just saw something... pictures? I can't really tell what it is, but there's definitely something. Voices, impressions... just a little further...

...

Ugh... where am I? Is this... inside of Kyouko's Soul Gem? It looks really dark, I can't see much of anything... just a bit of moonlight. Is this... a graveyard? It looks as though it was. Gravestones, as far as I can see. Why would it be like this...? I wander around a little bit, this really is a graveyard. It looks very menacing, there are statues of angels and monuments... it doesn't seem to be a Japanese graveyard. It looks more like something from Europe, I think it was called... gothic? We had it in art classes once, though I barely paid attention to that.

It's pretty cold and desolate, no one around... well, that's to be expected, in the middle of the night. I should probably be more worried if there was someone. Maybe I should transform, just in case. Not working... well, Kyouko told me it wouldn't work. I think I can hear something in the distance, though I can't tell what it is. This place really looks derelict, there are rotting wooden crosses and the statues looks as though they'd seen better days as well.

I can't read what's written on the tombstones either, I can't even tell what language it used to be in... I really don't get it. Is this really inside of Kyouko's soul? It seems nothing like her, this place is so gloomy and depressing... it's getting louder. Is that... a horse? It sounds as if someone was riding a horse, but in a place like this? Hm...

It's pretty foggy as well, that isn't exactly helping either. Though I'm pretty sure that I'm not alone any longer. According to Kyouko her Witch should be somewhere in here... though I'm still not sure what I'm supposed to think about that. Maybe I'd be better off if I don't.

"Hello? Is someone there?" I'm feeling pretty uncomfortable right now... I can't change and I have nothing else to defend myself with either. I'm at her mercy. I'll just have to hope that it's going to be alright. I mean, Kyouko wouldn't have asked me to do this if she thought I couldn't handle it. She's done so much for me and taken so many risks, there's no reason to question her intentions. I do trust her... right?

It's getting louder and louder, that sound. It really does sound like a horse running over cobblestone. There are other sounds as well now, growling, scraping... it doesn't sound very welcoming. I'll have to do something about this, I don't think that's what a healthy soul would look like. Though I'm not really sure what I could do about this... I mean, what is this even supposed to be? Something that happened?

Suddenly I can see something in the fog, those are... dogs? No, they aren't! They look a little bit like dogs, but they're way too big. Their maws look horribly vicious, and those claws... they could probably tear me to shreds! *Gulp* I can count three, four... it's hard to tell, they seem to circle me! They come out of the dark fog and vanish in it again, their black colour makes them all the harder to see. There could be far more hidden, this definitely isn't good...

They slowly approach me, I can't do anything... I can just hope that they're nicer than they look. I try to calm down, I wouldn't want to make them think of me as a danger or easy prey... though that's probably exactly what I am right now. One that's even bigger than the other ones steps forward and pushes its big nuzzle against my right hand, it's mouth looks like a fiery pit... I kind of want to pull it back, but that might upset it...

"Did you catch something...? Back!" Huh? Suddenly the 'dog', for lack of a better word, gets away from me... towards something that looks a little bit like a horse. On its back is... what is that?! It looks like a human figure, dressed in a red dress, but its head... it doesn't have one! There's just a candle sticking out of its dress! "Please forgive their behaviour, my fair lady. We are hunting a wanted criminal and confused you with that person."

"Um, that's alright..." The dog just whimpers and rubs itself against the leg of the figure, though it doesn't pay the dog any attention. I guess it's actually kind of cute... in a weird way. "You said you were searching for a criminal?" It still feels somewhat awkward, talking to a candle in a dress...

"Indeed. The person is responsible for the death of over twenty people, countless thefts and robberies, as well as vandalism and various other crimes." Over... twenty people?!

"That's horrible! That's just... unforgiveable! I can't seem to use my powers here, but... could I help you in some way?" Such a horrible crime... I can't just let that pass!

"Help us...? I think my hounds would suffice and I don't desire to bring you into harm's way..." It's surprisingly kind and polite, I guess looks can be deceiving.

"That's fine, I know how to fight, if I have to. Though I don't have my sword with me right now..." It reaches into its dress and pulls something out of it, that's... my sword?! It looks exactly like those I always summon. "That's it! How did you find it?!"

"That's of little concern, time is of the essence. If you truly wish to come along, take a seat behind me." It gives me my sword, I already feel so much better... its horse buckles down, it's probably expecting me to mount it. Well, it's better than running, I guess.

"Thank you very much! By the way, my name is Miki Sayaka." I get up, though this horse feels really weird... not like a horse at all. More like wood, or maybe metal...

"I know, my lady. You would be hard pressed to find someone unfamiliar with your name in these lands. My name is Ophelia." It's a... she?! Oh... "Hold on!" Suddenly the horse jumps up and starts running like it were on fire! What's wrong with it?! I grab her dress and hold on tight, though it's pretty difficult without a saddle... "Once more, I have to apologise on their behalf. They mean no harm to good-hearted people such as yourself, but they are still rather wilful."

"I see..." It's getting hard to understand her over the sounds of the horse and the wind. The dogs are running ahead of us, some to our sides, from what I can see. I wonder what that criminal we're searching is like... I mean, he has to be a terrible person. Probably a really bulky and strong man. Or maybe some creepy psychopath... No matter who it is, he deserves a sorrow punishment. Suddenly the dogs come to a stop and so does the horse...

"In there. " I look past her, there seems to be an old chapel in the middle of this graveyard. What a strange place for a criminal to be at... maybe it's some sort of a religious fanatic? Or he wants to vandalise it... I just jump off the horse and pet it a little bit, it did a good job. It seems to like that. "Please stay back and let me handle this situation. I could never forgive myself if you were hurt while I was able to prevent it."

"I can take care of myself! Besides, could you even handle that criminal on your own?" She slightly drops her head and some wax is dropping to the floor...

"I... I failed to capture that one for some years now. I fear I'm not quite strong enough... but I can't risk you getting hurt because of my incompetence. It's my duty, and I'm prepared to bear all of the consequences." She's really stubborn, I guess that's something she has in common with Kyouko... so that's probably her Witch. In that case the criminal we're looking for might be... her father? Maybe some reflection of him.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. It's much more important that justice is served." She finally gets off her horse, though she still doesn't seem to pay it much attention. I guess this is it, now we'll see who that criminal is... she simply destroys the door with her spear, though it's really dark inside. The dogs gather around the entrance and whimper as we enter it. There, kneeling in front of the altar... there's a figure in a robe. That has to be him!

"This time you won't get away. Just surrender yourself to your fate." The person doesn't even turn around, he appears to be praying... yes, that's probably him. We carefully approach him, each of us with our weapon drawn. We're right behind him now, he still makes no move... "You finally seem to realise that there is no escape from your punishment. My lady, would you carry it out?"

"That's... me?!" She's asking me... to kill him?!

"Indeed. You shall be the judge. I'm a mere hunter, I have no right to judge. You, on the other hand... you shall decide our fate." That's... *Sigh* I guess there's no helping it.

"Alright... but I want to talk to him first." I get a little bit closer again and carefully pull back the hood... long red hair? I get around to look at the face... "K-... Kyouko?!" Th-, that's... her? How is that... What's... "What is the meaning of this?!" I whip around and point my sword at Ophelia, was she trying to trick me?!

"That is the criminal I was searching for. She killed her family, as well as many followers of our father, the priest of our town. Since then she sacrificed many people to the beasts and continued to live by stealing and robbing people of that which was rightfully theirs. She escaped her sentence time and again, but this time we got her. Now, deliver her, or I shall do it myself." Kyouko is simply crying, that's...

"You... you want me to kill her?! For what her father did?!" I'd never do something like that! This deceitful Witch...!

"Indeed, my lady. She caused our father's descend into madness. Even if you didn't blame her for that, she still idly watched as countless people were killed by the beasts and she would continue to do so." That's... about the Familiars again, isn't it? I also hate it... but it's necessary.

"You said I should judge her, right?"

"Yes, I did. What should her sentence be? Surely nothing short of the death penalty would be fitting." I take another look at Kyouko, she looks like a total mess... and I raise my sword.

"A worse punishment would be acceptable as well, wouldn't it?"

"Of course, the harsher her punishment the better."

"Very well. Sakura Kyouko, in face of your many crimes I sentence you to..." I bring down my sword. "live. In atonement for your crimes you shall live, for as long as you can." Kyouko just gives me a confused look over her tears while I grin at her. Ophelia doesn't seem to take it so well, her flame seems to be blazing out of control...

"My lady, that's hardly a fitting punishment for crimes as severe as hers! Reconsider your sentence, or else..." I won't back down, no matter what.

"That is her sentence, and it is far worse than the oblivion of death. She will have to live with her guilt and face it. She has a lot to atone for, according to you. Living with the guilt, looking back on it and reappraising it... that is a far worse punishment." Kyouko just throws her arms around my hip, this is kind of awkward...

"In that case you will have to take responsibility for keeping her on the right path. You will have to answer for any crimes she may commit in the future. Are you prepared to do that?" She seems to have calmed down again, at least somewhat.

"Yes... yes, that is exactly what I will do. For as long as I live, whether that's another day or the next ten years... I will protect her and take care of her. And if I should die before her... the task will be yours. She shall live. Is that clear?" I hope this will help Kyouko, in some way...

"Your reputation precedes you, my lady. Though I regret to inform you that I won't be able to take over this duty, should you die." Huh?

"Why not? I mean, I'm going to do my best, so you have to try it as well." She just shakes her head a little bit and wax flies around...

"Because you are the foundation of this land, perhaps the goal of our quest in search for meaning. Without you all positive things here will vanish." I think she's exaggerating quite a bit there...

"I'm not that important, I'm just a placeholder... I will remain by her side for as long as I can and support her, but I hope that someday someone else will come... someone who is worthy of being with her. Since I probably won't ever find love I at least hope that she will." I just stroke her head a little bit and look at her. It makes me happy to see her this happy... and I earnestly wish from the bottom of my heart that she will find that someone.

"You and we... we are more alike than you would think. We truly hope that you will find us and understand. But it's obvious that this time hasn't arrived just yet. Farewell, my lady." Huh? I'm suddenly feeling drowsy, I'm...

...

Nyria: Better late than never, I guess? D: Sorry, I was really busy with tons of stuff, there were so many milestone birthdays in my family and they're scattered all across Europe... work ain't been kind to me either. T.T We were also discussing the next few chapters, since Walpurgisnacht is due. Also what music Sayaka might like etc. Well, it'll hopefully get better now. If you have any ideas 'bout the next chapter/remarks 'bout this one, feel free to write a PM or review. See ya next time!

Daniel: Yes, apologies from me as well... this one is pretty Sayaka-centric, since we noticed that she had far less time in the last few chapters. Anyways, a few notes are also due for this chapter, I suppose.

Songs referenced:

Yesterday: The Beatles

Shy: Sonata Arctica

Mad World: Gary Jules

Scarborough Fair: Simon &amp; Garfunkel

Nyria: Yeah, I liked the idea of their abilities to overlap. 'sides, enchanting songs somehow fit Sayaka, though that's rather a power Kyouko's father was given. Oh well, it's directly related to Kyouko's wish, so I think it works. :3 Since her story is related to many stories like that it's fine, I think...

Daniel: Indeed. To be more precise, "The Little Mermaid" and "Loreley", both associated with their lovely and bewitching voices. As a last note for this chapter I'd like to apologise if Sayaka's songs don't really get displayed the way they should, I don't know what fonts ff dot net supports. If it doesn't work out the way we hoped we'll edit it.


	14. Walpurgisnacht

**Kyouko's POV**

...

Nh... what? It's morning already... I stir a little bit, I could still sleep for some more hours. It was a pretty wild night, after all. Breaking in, almost getting killed... and all that other stuff we did. Still, I feel pretty great right now! I dunno why, but I feel really light and warm. Maybe it's 'cause of Sayaka entering... my soul? It's still pretty damn embarrassing and confusing. But if it's anyone, it has to be Sayaka...

"Oh, you're awake now? I was just coming to wake you up." I rub my eyes again, still sleepy... "Breakfast is ready..." Suddenly I feel wide awake! I push back the covers and jump out of the bed, I'm also really hungry... "Hehe, works every time."

"What? Are you saying... breakfast ain't ready!?" She'd better not...

"Calm down... it's ready. Some fried eggs and rice, you can also have an apple. Or something else, if you want." Haaaa~ That's my Sayaka! Perfect, just perfect~

"Wait, you're up on your own again... are you alright? Don't push yourself too much." I'm kinda worried, yesterday she was totally helpless... and I'm not sure if she's ready for all of this yet. I have to protect her... mostly from herself.

"Hey, don't even think embarrassing stuff like that! Besides, I'm fine now. I can move just fine and I didn't collapse so far. See? It's alright now. Magical Girl Sayaka-chan is back~!" She just spins around a little bit, that's really adorable~ I can't help a huge grin forming on my face, she just pouts. "What? You aren't making fun of me, are you?!" Wow, this day is starting out great. I guess that's compensation for all the crap yesterday.

"Wouldn't dream of it... I mean, look at yourself. How could anyone not awe-struck?" Teasing her really is fun~ Especially after yesterday. I feel as if she was playing with me...

"Surprise attack!" Wha-!? She suddenly tackles me to the bed and-

"Hahahaha... no, I- hahahaha! No, no, stooop~" Damn, that's really low... tickling me?! Hehe, I'll just have to stand up to her. In a quick motion I roll around, now our positions are switched. Time to see if she can endure it as well as she deals it~ I tickle her under her armpits... but somehow she doesn't seem to be very impressed...

"Hehehe... did you think it'd be that easy? You stand no chance against me!" Damn, how is this-?! I try her sides, still just a grin... she tries to swap positions again, but I manage to stay on top. She has to be ticklish, somewhere... it's just a matter of time until I find the right spot. Though that's easier said than done, she ain't exactly docile... "Just give it up already. That's what you get for trying to tease me~"

"Oh, if you say so..." I get up and... quickly grab her leg! I lock it under my left arm and slowly bring my right hand to her foot, slowly moving over her sock...

"Hey, what do you think you- Hahaha... nooo... Hahahaha! Stop that, you..." She starts kicking around with her other leg... I guess I got her!

"What was that? I should just give up, huh? Don't take me lightly!" Suddenly her hands are under my armpits again, this is... "Let go already! I- hahaha!" Damn, this is... a stalemate. I stop and she does as well, though we're still both ready to resume our attack at any time.

"Truce?" *Sigh* I don't think I've got much of a choice in the matter. Then again...

"Rosso Fantasma!" Damn, I even shouted that... stupid Mami! I don't think it's going to work, but... nope. Nothing...

"So, you want to play dirty... I wonder, what should I sing today~?" Wha-?! No way! I let go of her leg and quickly spin around, tackling her to the bed again, with my hands on her mouth. No way I'm letting her do that again... "Mmh! Mpf!"

"I'll let go... if you ain't gonna do it again, alright?" She just nods, I guess it's fine...

"Bah! That was really... ugh! You can't just put your hand on my face, especially not right after holding my foot with it! Even though I just took another shower, that's still disgusting!" Oh... well, she had it coming. "Besides, I wasn't going to do that either way... I remember it all too well. I mean, I know how cute Magical Girl Sayaka-chan can be and how great she's at singing, but that was still..." And she's teasing me again... we just can't seem to figure out who's in charge. Well, it's obviously me, but I just can't convince her, apparently...

"Hey, that was your fault! I bet it'd be the same if you tried it on someone else." Oh... I didn't think this one through. Wouldn't want to give her any ideas, or else she'll end up trying it on that wimp... Gross! That's a little bit complicated either way... I mean, what should I do if she... did find someone else again? I'd... I... damn, I really don't know what I should do 'bout that. Maybe I...

"You know that I wouldn't do something like that! I'd never force something like that, that'd just... it would be disgusting." Heh, I guess love is such a thing for her. It's kinda holy to her, a little like the stuff dad believed in... then again, he didn't act on the things he taught. At least I can be pretty sure with Sayaka. She had tons of opportunities to abuse her other powers, yet she didn't even try to. "Besides, weren't you the one suggesting I should do stuff like that in the first place? Using magic only for myself and all that?"

"I guess... I was just kidding either way, right? Still, I'd kinda like to know if that would work on others as well. Just pick some other songs..." I don't wanna know what would happen if she started singing songs like those yesterday in a crowd...

"Hm, maybe... anyways, get off of me already!" *Sigh* I kinda like this position... *Sniff* On second thought, I think breakfast is calling. Yet another draw... curse you, breakfast!

"I know, I know..." I slowly get up, though I kinda miss it already. I think I'll get back to bed after breakfast, maybe Sayaka will also rest a little longer. Well, first things first, so breakfast. I walk straight to the kitchen, Sayaka is right behind me. It's actually pretty dark outside, I don't think it's morning...

"Sheesh, it's almost burnt!" Glad that it's only 'almost burnt'... well, still looks pretty edible. Sayaka gives me one, the underside is kinda dark... not that I'd mind.

"Thanks for the meal~!" Time to dig in~ Not quite perfect, but still pretty good. Sayaka seems to be in a really good mood today, I don't think I've ever seen her this happy. Not that she had much reason to be happy, since we met...

"Hey, you two. Time to pack your things, we'll have to leave the house." Huh?

"What's going on, dad?" He seems to be in a bit of a hurry...

"There was a weather alert just now. Looks like a pretty big storm is headed this way." Damn... well, there should be enough time for breakfast. *Ring* Sayaka takes out her mobile phone, who could that be?

"Hello? ... I see. ... One hour? Alright, we'll be there. ... Yes, of course." She suddenly looks exhausted as she turns it off. "Kyouko, we'll meet with Homura in an hour, at the clock tower. It's time for that Witch, Walpurgisnacht." Oh, right... damn. I didn't even notice. So, today will be the day... I'll have to give it my all, I'll make this future happen. Our future. And it's gonna be the best one there could be!

"I see... that monster you were talking about, right? Are you sure that you want to fight it?" If there was a choice... *Sigh* oh well. There isn't, so why bother with 'what if' scenarios?

"Of course! We're going to protect everyone! Just get away and wait for the storm to pass. We're going to take care of everything!" Sayaka seems to be getting hyped 'bout the whole thing. Well, I guess this is why she became a Magical Girl in the first place. Sure, there was also that wimp, but I think she really wanted to fight for justice. This is how she has to have been before all of this started...

"I would probably just get in the way, huh?"

"Yup, just stay at the shelter or whatever and dont'cha dare comin' out there before we're done." Sayaka's so radiant, this is the first time I saw her like this... at the moment I can't help but trusting her. I really am starting to believe that we can do it. I guess we're both idiots, in the end. Or maybe Walpurgisnacht ain't that big of a deal. Maybe Homura was just exaggerating, or she's a lot weaker than she'd like us to think. Well, we're gonna find it out soon enough, and we're gonna win regardless of what it is.

"Alright... but promise me that you will be careful, alright? Both of you." He's one to talk...

"Yeah, I'll take care of this idiot here. You'd better stay out of trouble, 'kay?" I really don't need someone else with a hero syndrome, Sayaka is more than enough.

"Who's taking care of who?! Anyways, can I... have a moment? Alone with dad?" I just get out of the kitchen and into our room, I hope she can tell him whatever she wants to. I kinda envy her, she gets the chance to say 'goodbye' properly... but I'm also happy for her. 'sides, even if I had the chance, what should I have told 'em? There was nothing to tell mum and Momo, and dad... maybe a huge '**FUCK YOU!**', but that's it. Wouldn't have changed anything either way...

Oh well, I should focus on the things that are. This is the first time in forever that I'm moving forward, I finally have a goal, a home, even love... absolutely everything. I have something worth fighting for, something I really want to protect, no matter what it takes. And even better, I have a chance to do it. I know where the danger's coming from, and unlike last time, I can prevent it. This time I won't fail, I'll make mum and Momo proud!

I hope they're watching over me, at least now. I finally have something I can be proud of. I kinda hope they weren't watching me before this whole thing. And if I fail... I won't have to feel shame, facing them. Heh, assuming I'd get to heaven, what a bunch of nonsense. Still, I... I get down to my knees and pray, though I have no idea to who or what. I'm crying, but it's not so much that I'm sad. Sure, I am, thinking 'bout that stuff, but... more than that, I feel relieved.

I hope that we'll make it, and even more so... I want Sayaka to be happy. For her to be happy with me... I guess that's just a little bit too much to ask for, I know. So, I just want her to be safe and happy. She deserves it. So, if there is a god or something out there... you'd better look after her! She was doing her best all this time, but she didn't get anything for it. And I'm not talking 'bout some stupid reward in the afterlife, I'm talking 'bout here and now!

It ain't that much to ask for, right? If I still deserve to get some happiness for all the crap I've been through... I also want Sayaka to get that. As long as she's happy... I'll be happy as well, no matter where we are. Huh?! I can feel a hand on my shoulder, it feels really comforting... is this some kinda religious experience? Like a guardian angel or what?

_It's alright, Kyouko. I'll be there with you, right?_ Sayaka! I jump up, why is she done already?!

"I-I... I didn't... the hell do ya think I was doin'?!" No way I'd let Sayaka see me this weak! I quickly dry my eyes, this is so embarrassing...

_You don't have to tell me. I don't know what you were doing, though I have a pretty good idea... I just want you to know that I'm happy for these days we spend together._ She puts her arms around my back and hugs me, this is... _I'm really happy that we were together like this, and I'll do my very best to protect this. I never had a sister, but I think this is what it would be like. You understand me, better than anyone else. Oh, um, sorry.. sister is somewhat... _

_Geez, it's fine... n-no need to get all sentimental. We'll go out there and kick its ass!_ Sister... I guess that should be fine. I mean, it's definitely more than what I could ask for. Still... _But... you're also very important to me. More so than... forget it._ I just can't say it, after all. I sure don't feel 'bout Sayaka as I felt 'bout Momo, but I'm glad that Sayaka likes me. Not how I want her to like me, but it's better than nothing.

"Hehe, I'm glad. Alright, should we get going?" Her dad already seems to have left, I guess it's time for us to get going as well.

"Hey, Sayaka... if you don't mind, could we make a little detour?" There's something I should do now, there's still a little bit of time left. I've been running away long enough, I need to confront this.

"Well, I don't mind. Let's just be sure to get there in time. Where are we going?" It's probably because of her, that I feel ready to face it now...

"You'll see."

...

There's a lot of chaos in the streets right now, everyone's rushing to the shelters. They don't even pay attention, if it wasn't for some policemen keeping order they'd just run each other over. Some try to save their possessions as well, not even paying attention to their friends or family... disgusting. And we're supposed to fight, to protect assholes like that?! *Sigh* I guess it can't be helped. It's difficult to see everything anyways, it's late noon already.

We simply jump from roof to roof, that way we can avoid the chaos in the streets. We also saw some people breaking into houses, Sayaka threw some stuff at them until they left. At least I only ever stole food. Oh, and some jewellery the other day, I guess... though that doesn't count. The dead won't need it. That museum won't need it either, they should rather use that money to help others.

"So, would you mind telling me where we're going now?" Sayaka still seems to be pretty enthusiastic, kinda strange... but it really helps me. Something to keep all those dark thoughts at bay.

"We're almost there. How much time do we have left?"

"It's been something around twenty minutes, so around forty until we're supposed to meet the others." We jump over some more roofs, I stop and look down. There it is, Mitakihara cemetery... it's pretty dark, but I can still make out the writings. "Oh, this is... I see. You came here to... sorry. Take your time. I'll give you as much time as possible. I mean, it's a little bit scary, but I get it." Sayaka looks a little bit downcast now, just like me...

"It's fine. I'd actually like you to come along, if that's alright with you." This has to be the most awkward way to introduce your girlfriend to your family ever... hehe, it's actually kinda funny, in a weird way. I mean, Sayaka ain't really my girlfriend or anything like that... but I guess I can still imagine it, right? Momo and mum wouldn't mind, I'm sure of that. And dad... he wasn't against this kinda thing, though I don't care what he was for or against any longer.

"Um, alright...? I guess I can come along, if you want me to. Need some company?" She just grins and looks kinda mocking, though she really seems to be nervous. I guess it's just as awkward for her, if not even more so. I mean, I didn't even know Sayaka when all of this happened, she never met my family. These people don't really mean anything to her... I guess I'm being selfish again.

"Yeah, I do." I just put my arms around her, I still feel afraid... I feel incredibly vulnerable right now, I couldn't do this on my own. Sayaka seems to be pretty confused, she probably expected me to act smug or something. She slowly puts her arms around my back as well, she's so warm~ I could just... damn, now that I look at her outfit... it's actually pretty revealing. *Sigh* Those aren't very fitting thoughts, considering what I came here for...

"Um, alright, that's... yeah, alright. I, I guess I'll just stay quiet and... well, if you need anything... you know, right?" Hehe, Sayaka really can be adorable~ But enough of this, we'll have time for it once Walpurgisnacht is destroyed. I let go of her, though reluctantly... so does she, a little less reluctantly. Anyways, visiting graves... This graveyard looks rather different from the pictures dad used to have. It's pretty plain, compared to those. Well, maybe not plain... it's rather geometrical, the style of the graves is almost the same for all of 'em. A lot less scary than those pictures, I guess. Even in the dark.

"Dunno what exactly we're looking for. Name's Sakura Momo, that's all I can tell." I've never actually been here. Dad wasn't allowed to do funerals and stuff like that, not officially. There wasn't anyone who believed in his teachings either way, at least not until I made my wish. Momo and mum... I guess they were buried together. Don't know what they did with dad, could've thrown his body to stray dogs, for all I care. Wouldn't deserve a proper funeral.

"There are a lot of Sakuras here... Sakura, Sakura... Sakura... Kyouko?!" Huh?

"What's the matter?" I look at Sayaka, then in the direction she's staring in. That's...! Sure enough, Sakura Kyouko. Kinda creepy, seeing my name on a grave like that.

"There's also the name you mentioned, Momo. So, I guess... this is..." Yeah, that's it... it's not what I imagined. Dunno what I thought, but I... I guess I expected something a bit more personal. Well, this will have to do. It's enough, I'd probably just end up crying again if there was a picture of Momo and mum. Haven't seen their smiles in years, I barely remember it. Anyways...

"You're right. My little sister... and mum... well then, I'll go ahead and... I'm sorry. It was... my fault. All of this stuff, all that happened to us..." I feel so miserable right now... but Sayaka takes my hand, having her here with me... that's wonderful. She doesn't interrupt me either, I think she understands. I mean, I know that it ain't really all my fault. It's mostly dad's fault. But I still felt responsible, even if I wasn't... and today I will finally accept that.

"I'm sorry for all the crap I did since I became a Magical Girl. I really messed up and did a lot of awful stuff. So, sorry for failing you like that... but I'm alright now. I'm fighting for justice now, and all that nonsense. I know that won't undo anything and I'll probably still cause a lot of trouble, do bad things again... but now I'll try." I'm really grateful that Sayaka doesn't interrupt me. She doesn't defend me or judge me, she's just accepting it...

"Anyways, not much more to tell, I guess. Sorry for all those things I did, I hope I'll do better, from now on." Please watch over me... and Sayaka. I really do love her, from the bottom of my heart. Especially right now, how she's just holding my hand... she's still supporting me, but she no longer tries to show me the right way or judge me. Anyone else would've probably told me that it ain't my fault, but that's not what I believe in. I think I'll have to figure this out myself. I'll accept responsibility for my actions. I messed up, one way or another.

"Let's get going. We have a Witch to kill."

...

Sayaka was pretty silent, most of the time. She didn't talk 'bout that stuff at the cemetery either, she somehow knows that I have to figure it out on my own. There ain't really that much left to figure out, at least I don't think there is. Then again, that's pretty much what I told myself for the last three years. *Sigh* It'll be fine, as long as I have Sayaka with me. For now I should focus on the things that are 'bout to go down.

"There you are... I was just about to call you, you're late." Homura... "If left alone it will go after the shelter, so we have to distract it. And don't waste too much time with the Familiars. It's almost time."

"Ain't seen no Witches destroying the city on the way. Think we missed it?" Almost time... sounds good to me. Won't get any better than this. We'll finish this tonight. It's getting difficult to see things, if it wasn't for Homura's white clothes I'd not be able to tell where she is.

"Still as rude as ever, aren't you? Well, I should have expected as much." That voice... huh? It sounds really familiar, but that's...

"Mami-san?! Is that... is that you? I, I thought you were..." Mami?! Freackin'... she died, didn't she? Sayaka told me that much, she seems to be just as surprised as I am.

"Yes, it's me. Madoka... she brought me back." So Homura wasn't able to prevent it, after all. Not that I care that much. Sure, Madoka is nice enough, but I don't really know her.

"I'm so happy, I thought you were...!" Sayaka just runs up to Mami and hugs her, somehow I feel a little... jealous? "I'm... I'm so sorry, I should have been the one to..."

"No, it's alright, Miki-san. I said you should only wish for the thing that was most important to you. Though I'm sorry that it didn't work out the way you hoped. The only thing that counts is that you are here with us now, it tells me everything I need to know about you." Well, I sure ain't sorry for that. She deserves more than some jerk who knows how to play a violin and nothing else. Maybe even... "And you, Kyouko... I'm surprised you came back. Or rather, I'm surprised that you're still here. There's nothing to be had, as you surely know."

"Think ya know me? Fuck off and be pretentious somewhere else! That's all you're actually good at, ain't it? Telling little girls how they best fuck up their lives." Mami's face contorts slightly, though I'm not sure what she's feeling. The only thing I'm sure of is that I got at her. Sayaka shoots me a dirty glare, Homura seems to be ready to step in...

"Um, hey, everyone... sorry for being late! I got caught up helping someone along the way..." Madoka... she's completely clueless to the atmosphere. I guess that's a good thing, it seems to diffuse the situation, at least somewhat. I'm still pissed that Mami would present the whole Magical Girl issue as something good, but that can wait. I mean, if we win against Walpurgisnacht we'll have to look for our own cities to stay in. Mitakihara is a good hunting ground, but not enough for all five of us. Though I don't believe it's gonna stay that way, someone will probably...

"Madoka, I'm so happy..." Homura's cold facade seems to crack and melt away slightly, though she also seems to be really worried. Now they're hugging. Damn, that ain't no friendship hug...

"Hey, that's not allowed! Only I can-" Homura gives Sayaka what can only be described as a death glare...

"Um, it's alright, Sayaka-chan. You see, we are... um..." Wow, if things go on like this blood will be shed before Walpurgisnacht even arrives.

"She's my girlfriend, alright?! You are the one that has no right to touch her!" Sayaka looks completely dumbfounded for a second. Mami seems to know already, she only gives Sayaka a sympathetic look... still a real bitch.

"Wait, you are... that's... haha, you sure could've fooled me. Almost had me with that joke. Right, Madoka? Right...?" Madoka lets go of Homura and faces Sayaka. She seems to be pretty embarrassed, but also determined.

"I'm sorry, Sayaka-chan... this isn't a joke. We're together, really. Um, you don't have a problem with that, right? I mean, you were always joking around like that, so..." Sayaka seems to be really confused. They should've just waited with that stuff until this was all over. Homura still seems to be ready to jump at us...

"There is no need for you to apologise, Madoka. A real friend would accept your decision. And if she doesn't... well, then she obviously isn't your friend." Sayaka's face contorts slightly, anger replacing the confusion.

"I have no problem with this kind of relationship, I don't care! It's Madoka's decision, that much is true... but Homura?! Seriously?! She's downright crazy, as a friend it's my duty to worry for you!" Should've seen that one coming... at least Madoka and Mami don't seem to be on either of their sides. Worst case scenario, we'll just pull them apart.

"Oh? Is it really your place to worry for her well-being? I mean, just a couple of days ago you almost..." Those two...

"You're one to talk! I bet you told her all about yesterday, didn't you?" Homura stumbles back, it's as if Sayaka had physically slapped her.

"You wouldn't..."

"No, I wouldn't... it's your mess to sort out. If you think that you can build a relationship on lies, that's your problem. I think Madoka deserves something better, but it's not my place to judge... if she doesn't want to hear it, fine with me. If she does, sort it out yourself. But if you harm her in any way, any way at all..." Great mood, just perfect...

"C'mon, save that for later." Homura looks pretty distressed, I think Sayaka's words hit home. I just hope she won't try to kill us again because of this...

"I have to agree with Kyouko on this. If that Witch is as powerful as you said it was... we can't afford this." I still don't feel happy 'bout having to deal with Mami after this is over, but it's probably better than never finishing it.

"Homura... what was Sayaka-chan talking about?" Both of them walk off, I guess they're gonna have a crisis soon.

"Sayaka, not cool. I know how you feel, but couldn't you just have saved that stuff for later?" She's all defiant, I can feel it... no use trying to get through to her now. She just walks away, though not too far. That leaves me with Mami...

"Kyouko..."

"Can it. I'm not in the mood for catching up and all that crap, 'kay? There's nothing to say, there ain't been for three years. We're here to kill that Witch, fine and dandy, but that's it." I really can't stand that pitying look she's sporting now... I think I'll follow Sayaka, that still seems to be the best option so far.

...

**Sayaka's POV**

...

I really am an idiot... *Sigh* I know that it wasn't the right time for this, I know that I shouldn't have tried to ruin their 'relationship' like that... but I did it anyways. Homura has no right to trick Madoka like that, I bet Madoka just didn't want to tell her off. Or maybe I'm just telling that to myself to make me feel better about it. I didn't mean to hurt them... but I couldn't just leave that be, as Madoka's friend.

Homura was just as unreasonable, she immediately tried to get hurtful. Besides, I don't want Madoka to get hurt. Though I guess I did hurt her with that just as well... I just don't know what I should have done in that situation. Just keep quiet? No, that would have been just as wrong... appeal to Homura's sense of justice? I would have, if I knew whether there was something like that at all.

It's too late to decide for something else either way. I made my decision and I'll have to live with it, unlike Homura. If Madoka hates me after all of this is over... I honestly couldn't blame her. I'm supposed to be her friend, but I do nothing but hurt her. It's the same with Kyouko... I always try to help her in some way, but I usually just make it worse. It's always the same, I try to fix something and I just break it even more.

"Hey, c'mon. No need to be all gloomy. I mean, you were on top of the world 'bout ten minutes ago, right? Don't let that stuff get you down. We can fix all you wanna fix once that Witch is done." I guess I let some of those thoughts reach her. She really cares for me. I don't deserve friends like that, I deserve... I don't even know. Why do I get so many good things for messing things up, yet people who would deserve it so much more...

"Hehe, I guess you're right~ I should be happy, right? That Mami-san is fine, that I'm even here with everyone... I can't help feeling a little bit guilty for all of it." There's no point, lying to Kyouko. I trust and like her more than anyone else, even a little more than Madoka... though we still barely know each other. But we'll get there, little by little. I'm sure of that. All that's between us and that future is...

"Save it for Walpurgisnacht." Yeah, that's all we have to overcome. We're so close to the end all of this...

"I'll go and meet Homura. I don't want things to stay this way." Either of us, maybe even all of us, could die tonight. And if I go or have to say my farewells to anyone, I want to do it without regrets. Well, that won't be possible, I guess... with the least amount of regrets possible. I hate Homura's guts and I won't lie about it, but she isn't really a bad person. It's just... *Sigh* I'm also worried about Madoka.

"Whatever. I won't stop you, go ahead. Just don't piss Homura off too much and try to be a little bit considerate, alright?" I just look around a little bit, it looks as if all civilians had escaped by now. All the better, it would be pretty difficult to protect normal people while fighting. The sky is a very dark grey, soon there won't be any light left... I guess we'll just have to shine all the brighter. If it's with everyone, with Kyouko... that should be fine. Oh, I found Homura. She's sitting all alone on some steps, she looks pretty downcast...

"Homura? Are you... uh, forget it. I don't really know how to... I mean... I'm sorry." She just gives me a weak glance and lets her shoulders slump...

"Are you happy now?" Huh?

"What are you talking-"

"I'm asking if you're happy now! Madoka will leave me for sure... is that what you wanted?!" She seems to be unsure whether she should vent her anger on me or pity herself.

"I wasn't trying to make you fight, but you were just so...! Besides, I don't want your relationship, whatever it may be, to be like that. Madoka is always honest and she thinks everyone else is the same. It would really hurt her if you just lied to her, especially if you are in some kind of a meaningful relationship!" I can't deny that I wanted to get back at Homura... but not with something like this. Especially not with Madoka involved.

"Maybe you should have just kept your stupid mouth shut then! Now I told her, and she... and she..." She just trails off, she seems to be just about to cry.

"Maybe you should shut the fuck up for a second! Can you even hear yerself talking?! It's always 'bout you! You this, you that, everyone else is oh so mean to you. Maybe you should stop for one godforsaken second and think 'bout how much of your shit people keep up with!" Homura looks visibly shocked at Kyouko's outburst, though I'm kinda happy... she tried to protect me.

"It's fine, Kyouko. Calm down. And Homura... keeping it to yourself would have only made it worse, for both of you. If you keep on lying and omitting the truth it will only get worse and worse. If you come clear now you might still be able to save your relationship. Would you really want to keep lying to her, lying to yourself?" I'm not sure if I approve of this, but if it makes them happy... I'll support Madoka, regardless of what she decides to do. That's what friends are for.

"I would have... kept lying, if I thought it would work. But you do have a point... Madoka deserves more. I should probably apologise... but I really can't bring myself to do that right now." She does have a good heart, deep down... it's just buried under all of those bad experiences she made. If Madoka helps her realise that, helps her to change... I think I could support her as well.

"That's alright, don't worry about me. I don't care what you think of me and it really doesn't matter. You don't owe me an apology either. The only person here you should apologise to is Madoka. Now go and find her, alright? Make this right while there's still a little time left. If she can forgive my actions..." She slowly nods and gets up, I just hope she'll somehow make it work out. It's the same for them, they could die today...

"Should ya really be that considerate with her? I mean, I said it myself, but still... she's acting like a spoiled little brat and you spoil her even more." I guess Kyouko also felt a little bit attacked by Homura. Or maybe she's still upset about yesterday.

"I'm not really spoiling her, I just wanted to help a little bit. Besides, I don't want it to end like this. I won't let anyone die if I can help it, but still..." Maybe I won't be able to help it... I know that, I'm not that naive anymore. So I also did it for my own conscience, I guess.

"You have matured a lot, Miki-san. I was gone for little more than two weeks, yet it's as if I was gone for years. I'm proud of you for handling it this way." It's somewhat embarrassing, getting called mature by Mami-san...

"Haha, stop that, you'll make me blush! I'm really not all that different, I just..." I take a look at Kyouko for a moment, she seems to feel really uncomfortable. "I just learned so many things in that short time. I'm still an idiot, but I guess that's fine. Besides, now I have Kyouko watching my back, though she is a handful." It feels as if she was really torn about this, in spite of her open hostility.

"That's exactly what I meant. I'm really happy for you. Also for Kyouko, even if she's behaving like this." Again, I can feel Kyouko's emotions. A pang of conscience, but also anger... I'm not sure what I should think of that. Well, it's probably something they have to settle on their own, if Kyouko ever feels ready to do that.

"How else should I behave 'round someone like you? Let's get outta here, Sayaka. I'm done with her." Mami-san looks really downcast, but there's no helping it... I can't exactly force them to get along or make them confront their problems. Kyouko just takes my hand and drags me away, though I don't really mind. Things only got worse by the second, it's probably better this way.

I consider trying to convince Kyouko that she should eventually take care of it, but that would probably make her angrier. Instead I just let her lead the way, though I don't think she has a clear goal either. Wait, what... I can feel something all of a sudden... an incredibly dark source of magical power! It still seems to be in the distance, but it's so... this is definitely the strongest Witch any of us have ever faced, I'm sure of it. A heavy fog arises and I can hear approaching thunder, it really looks like a weather-related catastrophe.

_Get ready to fight for your lives. Try to distract it, Madoka and Mami will help me take it down. And don't bother too much with the Familiars, as long as the Witch lives they will keep coming._ Homura is all business now. Distract it, she said... I could bet she wants to get me killed. Well, too bad, I'm going to disappoint her. I can already see the first Familiars in the streets, this Witch really doesn't have a barrier. I can't even see it, but I can feel its presence in the air. It's definitely close...

"Are you ready for this, Kyouko?" I'm not really sure myself, but it's too late for second thoughts. The Familiars are coming closer, they remind me of things one would see at the circus. Colourful elephants, covered in blankets... some look like shades of Magical Girls, though I hope they're just normal Familiars as well. I have a really bad feeling about this, my instincts scream for me to run... but I stay. I won't leave until this is over, one way or another.

"Sheesh, what the hell did ya sign me up for here? You'd better pay up after we're done with it, preferably with pocky. Or maybe..." She just trail off, she seems to be lost in thoughts. The first Familiars are about to reach us now, they also seem to be a lot stronger than the normal ones.

"Sure, I'll buy you all the sweets you want or give you whatever you want... well, if it's reasonable. Anyways, let's go! If you get less Familiars than I do you won't get anything!" This really seems to get Kyouko enthusiastic, she practically darts off with a pocky in her mouth, towards the next Familiars. She's pretty fast, I should also hurry up, I don't want to stay behind! I manifest my sword and slice through the first elephant, they go down pretty easy.

The elephants don't actually seem to do much at all, they just carry decoration and such. The Magical Girl shades, on the other hand... they're pretty aggressive and fast. At least they should be, but somehow... we're even faster. Kyouko's spear flashes through the air and cuts them down, multiple at once! I simply summon some swords and throw them, I just know how to hit them. It's somewhat strange, but it feels so natural now...

_Behind you!_ One of the Familiars managed to get behind Kyouko, it's about to do something! I quickly throw another sword, but it doesn't hit... damn fog! Kyouko spins around, but there's little she could do. It fires, and... barely misses! I think I managed to distract it enough, now Kyouko has an easy time, finishing it off. I should rather focus on some other Familiars, or else Kyouko will have to save me next.

_Thanks. _I'm just happy that she's alright. I mean, one shot probably wouldn't be too bad, but we shouldn't take any chances. The streetlights are also flickering now, if this goes on we won't even be able to see anything... but I can feel something else now, something far worse than those Familiars. There, in the distance... I can see something moving, something pretty big. I guess that's the Witch we are looking for.

_Kyouko-chan, Sayaka-chan... that's it! Homura said that you should try to lure it closer to the river, she has something prepared for it there._ To the river, huh? First we'll have to get its attention, I just hope that's going to be as easy as it sounds. Hehe, who am I kidding?

We run towards it, somehow we're a pretty good team now, I think. We cover the openings the other one has, without even having to tell each other. It's as if we'd act on instincts alone, if it stays this easy we won't have much to worry about. Familiars are getting destroyed left and right, we're getting closer to the Witch. There seem to be less of those Familiars now as well, the others probably also took care of some.

Now we're close enough to see the Witch, it somewhat reminds me of a big circus tent, only upside down. Maybe that's supposed to be a dress or something like that? Its face looks like some sort of a creepy masquerade and above its dress are strange gears. It doesn't look that bizarre or scary, in my opinion. Well, at least not when compared to other Witches. It seems to be somewhat idle, at least for now. It's just floating around, doing nothing. But that feeling...

"Last chance to back out of this, huh? Haha, screw it all. Let's go, Sayaka!" Yes, together with Kyouko... together with everyone, we will defeat it and bring peace! I feel as if we'd be a perfect team now, since we don't even need to communicate anymore. Kyouko uses her spear to swat away a Familiar next to me, I throw a sword to get one behind her... it feels as if there really wasn't 'I' or 'her' anymore, but it's not uncomfortable or bad...

We run even faster, I jump and throw my sword, right into its face. Somehow my swords feel a little bit strange, they don't feel like simple weapons anymore... Walpurgisnacht even seems to flinch a little bit, but it quickly attacks with a burst of colourful flames! Kyouko's spear coils around me and pulls me out of the way, we start heading for the river. Normal attacks probably won't do much against it, so we'll have to count on the others.

I'm so much faster than before, so much stronger... and so much happier. All of this because of Kyouko's sacrifice for me... but it feels as if it was the same for her. I just thought about how much I was taking from her, but right now it feels as if I gave her a lot of things as well. Everything feels slightly different now, it's as if we were exchanging secrets. I can feel that she still wants to hide things, but so do I. Still, it just feels so wonderful~

But I should probably focus on our fight instead. We're almost done now, we're at the river. I can see Madoka and the others in the distance, she's really standing out, so bright... but so does Kyouko. Even in all this darkness around us, they're brighter than ever. It's almost blinding me, this light. Well, it isn't really light... but if Walpurgisnacht were darkness, they'd definitely be light. I throw another sword at Walpurgisnacht while running away, we wouldn't want to lose its attention.

_Good job, now get out of the way! Run towards the clock tower, you'll avoid the blast that way. But do it fast._ No need to tell us twice, we run even faster... but I still don't feel as if I'd tire out anytime soon. _Good, now you can lean back and enjoy the show._ We got even further than I thought, Walpurgisnacht seems to be pretty far away now. Lean back and enjoy the show, huh? I wonder what-

Suddenly I can only see explosions where Walpurgisnacht used to float, does that mean... _Homura, did you just... destroy it? Was that you...?_ Koyuko sounds pretty excited. I can't believe it, this... was it?

_We... I think we did it! I prepared a lot of explosives, just for this day... So it... it should be done!_ Homura sounds as if she herself couldn't believe it. I hate to spoil it for her, this moment, but I still feel its presence...

_**HAHAHAHA! **_I knew it...

_No, it isn't... I can still feel it. That wasn't enough, be careful!_ I run towards Madoka, though I somehow feel worse now. I'm not even close to the speed we reached before, I feel so weak... but I have to protect everyone! I don't know what it is, but I can feel that Madoka is in danger. I have to hurry up!

...

**Homura's POV**

...

Incredible... I never gathered so many explosives, it seems to have paid off. There was a gigantic explosion, it ripped apart any of the surrounding buildings. Only a screen of smoke is left, nothing could withstand a blow like this! I almost want to run towards Madoka and hug her tight right now, I finally did it... all this suffering, all the repetitions, everything was worth it! Madoka has forgiven me and Walpurgisnacht is defeated, this has to be-

_**HAHAHAHA!**_ Wait, what... what was that?! It almost sounded like...

_No, it isn't... I can still feel it. That wasn't enough, be careful! _No way, that can't be right... Sayaka is running towards us, more specifically towards Madoka.

"Sayaka-chan?! Wait, what are-" She jumps at Madoka, I'm about to stop time. Has she finally gone mad...? No, wait... **WHAT?!** That's can't... suddenly a whole building emerges from the smoke, it flies directly towards the place where Madoka was moments ago! I'm completely stunned, this can't be happening... she didn't attack, she... so that means...!

"Homura! You have to sa-" I stop time, barely even registering it. It's probably just a matter of confirming her death now, if that building hit her she's done for. I don't care much about what happened to her, but Madoka would. I'm far more worried about Walpurgisnacht, if that explosion didn't take care of it... I don't know what hopes we could have. Mami won't be able to harm that, neither Kyouko, Sayaka or I. If those two aren't dead already...

I search through the debris, no trace of her. Wait, isn't that... her cape?! It either got ripped off or she's stuck under this wall... I move some pieces out of the way, but I can't get this huge plate to budge! I try it one last time... useless. I let time resume, if only to see if I can get an answer from her. _Sayaka, can you hear me? If you can, please answer me. _Madoka seems to be really worried, she rushes towards us as well, but is intercepted by a tree, suddenly emerging from the smoke... I have to help her!

_Here... I'm..._ She really seems to be stuck there... but I can't help her, not while Madoka is in danger!

_Kyouko, hurry up already! Sayaka seems to be stuck under that wall, go and help her. We'll take care of Walpurgisnacht._ Somehow... they fulfilled their task, they lured it into my trap. I didn't have much bigger hopes for them either way. Mami can't seem to decide what she should do, I don't have much hope for her either. But she has more firepower than I do, that's probably something. _Mami, come and help Madoka! If we can't destroy the Witch we'll just be overrun by its Familiars!_

_Ah... I, I understand..._ As if I called them, Familiars spawn all over the place and start attacking us again. They are a major annoyance and pose an actual threat, I somewhat wish Kyouko and Sayaka could help us... but we'll have to make do. Madoka doesn't have much trouble with the Familiars, as expected. But Walpurgisnacht is still a pretty big threat. I can't let my guard down, I have to destroy it.

_Madoka, Mami... I'll distract it for a moment, you have to take it out with this shot!_ My explosives seem to do little more than distracting it, just like my other weapons. This is the only thing I can do.

_Alright, Homura... but be careful, please..._ *Sigh* Madoka... I'm happy that she's worried about me. All I can do now is hope, hope that she can do it with Mami's help. I feel a little bit useless, but I don't even care right now. All I want is for this to be over and for Madoka to be happy. That's all I ever wanted, from the very beginning... and this time I'll do it, without fail!

_Don't worry, just give it your very best shot. I will be out of there before you know it._ I stop time once more in order to get closer to Walpurgisnacht. On the way I shoot a couple of Familiars, just in case. There it is, the Witch... time to see it through. I take out a pipe bomb I made earlier, this should be perfect. I activate it, throw it... Madoka seems to have gathered a lot of energy, time to make my exit. _Fire!_

I quickly get back to the others, I can't allow any Familiars to attack right now. They're both defenceless, so I'll have to protect them. Now I can hear Mami shout her silly "Tiro Finale!", whatever works for her. Madoka also releases her accumulated power, that shot... it's far more powerful than anything I ever felt! If this isn't enough to finish Walpurgisnacht... *Sigh* We'll just have to think of something else.

A deafening scream echoes through the landscape... I try to hold my ears shut, but it feels as if it was shouting directly into my brain! It hurts so bad...! Something like a wave of darkness washes over us, and then... it's over, as suddenly as it began. Is this... could it really be?! I get up again and open my eyes, there's no smoke, no Familiars... and no Witch! This is incredible, it... it really worked out! I was starting to doubt whether Walpurgisnacht could actually be defeated... but it is!

"Madoka! You did it!" I run towards her and hug her tight, this is... this has to be the greatest moment in all those timelines, the greatest one since I met Madoka! She hugs me back, I finally did it...

"We did it, Homura... we really did. Is... is Sayaka-chan alright?" I completely forgot about her...

"I don't know... but now we can go and look for her. I'm sure she's fine. Mami, why don't you go and take a look?" She just nods and jumps off the rooftop. But even if they didn't make it... there's no way I'd turn back time again. If their lives are the tribute for this... so be it. I'd be willing to sacrifice far more. I don't really want them to be dead, but it wouldn't ruin my day either. Not this day...

"Homura, could you help them as well? I think I'll go to the shelter, where my family is. I want to celebrate with them... no, not just with them. With everyone! So please, Homura... go and look for them. And afterwards meet me there. I baked a cake, just for this!" *Sigh* I'm a little bit disappointed that she thought of everyone... but I guess that's just how she- *Chu* She's... Madoka is kissing me...

"Mmh... I... yes, of course... we'll meet you there, alright?" She just gives me a coy smile and turns around, jumping from roof to roof... this is the best day in my life! I just need to go and look for Kyouko and Sayaka, get back to the shelter and... live happily ever after!


	15. Walpurgisnacht, Final

**Kyouko's POV**

...

_Sayaka?! Sayaka, come on! Answer me, you stupid...!_ She just had to go and try to save Madoka, didn't she? Without hesitating even for a moment she ran off, I didn't even realise what had happened... goddamn idiot. I shouldn't be that worried 'bout her, she oughta be fine. After everything that her body endured so far... but I'm still kinda scared. I can't even tell where she's supposed to be, 'under this wall' wasn't much help.

_Hey... Kyouko. I'm over here..._ I can feel it through our connection, she doesn't seem to be hurt too badly.

_Yeah, I'm coming for ya. Just stay still, I'll see what I can do._ If my feeling is right she's stuck under this wall, it's a pretty big part that was split off. Throwing a frickin' building at us... I can't believe that really just happened. I just hope Homura and the others can take care of it. If they can't... I'll grab Sayaka and make a run for it, screw this. Fighting it would be pointless for us, I'm pretty sure of that.

_Thanks, Kyouko..._ I grab the edge of that wall, it's really damn heavy. I'm pretty confident in my strength, but I can barely lift it... it'd be easier to just crush it, but that would only make things worse for Sayaka. Wouldn't want her to get hurt, even if she really ain't feeling it.

_Sure thing, just wait a sec... almost there._ I give it my all and... it lifts! Sayaka also seems to be pushing from below, with one last push we flip it over. *Sigh* That was pretty damn tiring... at least Sayaka seems to be fine. She probably just went too far and got 'disconnected' from her soul. Too bad the Witch is still- what the hell?! I feel a sharp stab of pain in my head, what's...?! It's gone? I dunno what it was, but it was pretty painful.

"GAAAAH! I...! Make it stop!" Huh? Sayaka?! She's clutching her head and screaming!

"What's wrong, Sayaka?! C'mon, try to calm down and-" She just beats away my hand, what's gotten into her? Maybe it hit her harder... "Tell me what's wrong, just try to do that. I'll make it better, somehow."

"My soul... MY SOUL! Something's tearing, I'm...!" I quickly take a look at our Soul Gem... the heck is that?! Sayaka's half... it's almost black again! I take out one of the Grief Seeds I brought, it seems to be working... though it looks as if that taint really doesn't wanna leave. Sayaka's on the floor now, kicking around and screaming... but it seems to help a little bit. My half is still clean, I don't really get it. I can feel a little bit of her pain through our connection, but I don't really feel it myself.

"There, there. See? It's all better now. I'll take another Grief Seed and you'll be fine, alright?" The first one is completely filled already and it still ain't gone completely... never saw anything like this. A Grief Seed is usually enough for just 'bout anything, especially an unused one. Sayaka finally seems to calm down and looks up at me, though her eyes are full of tears. That had to hurt pretty damn much...

"Ah... haah... sorry, Kyouko. I... I don't know what happened. One moment we were pushing off that stuff on top of me, next thing I know... only that incredible pain. Completely out of nowhere." I'm just glad it's over... I hated seeing her like that. I help her up, she still doesn't seem to have recovered completely.

"So, mind telling me what the hell was going on in that thick skull of yours?! Running off on your own and almost getting us killed... you can't go 'round and do stuff like that!" She just keeps giving me scares like this... though it ain't really her fault either, at least not always.

"Hehe... I just didn't think about it, I guess. I just felt that Madoka was in danger, so I ran. I didn't wait for you to start moving, so it's probably my fault. Is she alright? I only remember that I was about to jump, at that point my consciousness was cut off..." It can't be helped, I guess. It's easy to forget that range stuff, especially in the heat of the moment.

"You pushed her out of the way just in time. That damn Witch threw a whole building at her. But you really have to be more careful, one of those days you're gonna run out of luck." She probably used up two lives worth of luck already in those last few days. Our future ain't looking too bright if things go on like this... but after we're done here it's gonna get easier for us. It'd better get easier.

_Miki-san? Kyouko? Are you alright?_ Figures that Mami would be the one looking for us...

_Yeah, we're doing just fine. Go and fight that Witch or something, we'll stay out of the fight for a while._ I don't care if Sayaka will protest or not, I won't let her fight. At least not until I know for sure that she's good to go.

"That won't be necessary. We already took care of it. This nightmare is finally over!" She sure seems to be happy. So, that's it? It's finally over? Haha, I'd wish...

"It ain't, and you know that better than any of us. It's gonna be over when we're either dead or... worse." I wish that wasn't the case... and it won't be. Not for Sayaka and me, I'll make sure of that. Screw the rules and whoever made 'em, I'll beat them or cheat. But the others... it'd just be wishful thinking that we'd all make it. Let the devil take the hindmost, I'll make sure that it won't be Sayaka or me.

"Kyouko, there's no reason to be so pessimistic. We will just work together and share what Grief Seeds we find, that way no one will die. And what else could happen?" Wait, she doesn't know?! I help Sayaka up, though she seems to be doing better now.

"Didn't she tell you, Mami?" Huh? Mami doesn't even react... or breathe, for that matter. By the looks of it a certain someone stopped time. That someone has her hand on my left arm.

"Kyouko, stop it. This doesn't concern her, you will only make it worse for her. Let her be the way she is now, otherwise things will go out of control." So Homura doesn't want her to know. Well, she probably knows what she's doing. She's over the 'trying to kill us' trip, at least I hope so. Wouldn't do Mami much good either way, knowing that...

"Are you sure that's the best thing to do? I... I think she deserves to know, but..." Sayaka also seems to be able to move, probably 'cause she's leaning on my shoulder.

"Yes, it's for the best. Unless you'd prefer it if she went mad and tried to kill us all. Or she could turn to a Witch on the spot, who knows? All I know is that it's for the best to let her keep believing whatever she believes in." Mami would do something like that...? Well, I guess it'd be reasonable, kinda. If we were all doomed like that she'd probably consider it a mercy to kill all of us and herself... I'm almost surprised Sayaka didn't think that, back when she first heard of the whole situation with Witches.

"I hate lying to her, but I don't want her to share this burden. She already endured enough, because of my selfishness..." Homura still seems to be rather angry at Sayaka. I guess it can't be helped, those two will probably never get along. Yet they aren't all that different, I think. On the other hand, they can also be complete opposites. Time seems to move again as Mami's expression changes slightly. "Nothing, right? Dying is the worst that can happen to us. So we can fight for justice, without holding back~"

"Shut up, Sayaka! I've had it with your speeches 'bout justice!" _Seriously, don't go around and say stuff like that... I won't let you go off and die for nonsense like that, got it?_ Mami just sighs, I think she's swallowed it.

"You can walk? Then we should return to the shelter, Madoka is waiting for us there. She said she prepared cake and wanted to celebrate with all of us." That sounds great, cake~ And other stuff as well. My mouth is watering, just thinking about it... I hope Madoka is good at cooking. If not... well, I guess it'd still be a nice gesture. Sayaka seems to have recovered as well, for the most part. Don't think this could've gone any better.

"Let's get going, I'm starving..." I should've brought more pocky.

"Always thinking about food... you're really irredeemable, aren't you? Wait a second..." She lets her gear vanish, looks through her pockets... and pulls out some Taiyaki! "You did well, so I guess... it's fine if I give you a reward, right? Sorry if it's a little bit crumbled." She's offering it to me, Sayaka...

"You're simply the best!" I just take the Taiyaki out of her hand and hug her~ She actually thought of me, I'm so happy! I mean, she does a lot for me... but it still feels like a great gesture to me. I quickly unwrap it, swallow the crumbs and put the remains of one into my mouth, though I still have another one. I definitely won't give that away, it's mine and mine alone. Take that, Mami! I bet you're really jealous right now!

"It's great to see an owner and her pet get along, but we should really get going..." I bet Homura is just jealous as well. She probably never got something that great from Madoka! It almost feels like a confession, though it probably doesn't mean quite as much to Sayaka...

...

"Hey, Junko! Did you see Madoka?" Sayaka is walking on her own just fine now. It was kinda fun, carrying her around and taking care of her... but I should be happy. This way she can cook for me again~

"Madoka? Ah, she went to look for all of you. You barely missed her. She told me to give you this, then I lost her in the crowd. She's probably still somewhere close by, you should just look around a little bit." That has to be... the cake! I quickly lunge forward and take a peek, it looks really delicious... what a great day! I almost want to take a bite right now... there's something written on it as well. 'Congratulations for making it, everyone!' There's some scrawly handwriting I can't quite figure out as well... but cake!

"Thank you very much, we will go and look for her." Homura seems to take the lead, maybe she can sense her or something. I'd personally be fine with just eating the cake... *Sigh* Whatever. After she gets some distance to Madoka's family she turns around and faces us. _We have to go and look for her right away, she isn't here. I get the feeling that something went terribly wrong... _Huh? Homura sounds way too scared for this to be nothing... but why?

_What's wrong, Homura? Please, tell us..._ Sayaka also seems to be a little bit scared now. I guess she trusts Homura's instincts, at least when it comes to Madoka.

_Didn't you see? On the cake... she wrote 'sorry don't look'. She probably wrote it when she returned. She was in a rush, so that has to mean... Kyubey, come here! Right now!_ I guess she has a point, that probably means trouble... so that's what those other letters were supposed to mean. Kyubey finally shows up in the middle of the crowd, though no one notices him. _Tell me where Madoka is, or I will...!_

_Calm down, I will tell you. She went to the north, into an unpopulated forest area._ What is she doing there? Did she sense a Witch and go there to fight it? I guess that would explain her message. Maybe it's even Walpurgisnacht, I wouldn't be too surprised...

_Alright, we know where to go. Let's go, Homura!_ Sayaka is just 'bout as worried as Homura, apparently. For once they seem to agree on something completely.

_Transform and hold on to me, don't let go. I will get us there in no time at all. _All three of us do as she says, Mami and I grab her clothing, Sayaka takes my hand. Homura is stopping time... I guess this will be much faster than running alone would be. We just run, on and on. Homura's magic only lasts so long. Through the city, over roofs and through alleys... before long we reach the outskirts of town. Well, I can understand why everyone's worried.

"Wait. I can sense it again. Walpurgisnacht... it wasn't destroyed!" All of us turn towards Sayaka, she looks pretty pale... I squeeze her hand a little bit, though I have no idea what's going on anymore.

"That can't be, you have to be wrong... Madoka and Mami destroyed it! There's no way it endured that attack! I saw it!" I can't really tell... but I trust Sayaka.

"It's not really the same thing, it's... different. I can't put my finger on it, but it feels off. Can't you feel the tension?" I didn't really notice it before... then again, the atmosphere was pretty tense the whole time.

"If you have nothing better to do than wasting our time with baseless assumptions..." Homura just has to try to attack Sayaka again, doesn't she? Goddamn that bitch!

"Listen, I don't care 'bout what you're thinking, but Sayaka ain't lying. I can't tell if anything's different, but if she says so... she was the one who saved Madoka before, remember? So I'd rather listen to her intuition than to your bickering." Mami just sighs, I hope she won't start getting all preachy again...

"Now that you mention it... I can feel it as well, it's almost the same as Walpurgisnacht. But not the same thing. Miki-san is right, it just feels... off. I can't explain it either, I fear." Not really much help... but it's good to know. At least we'll be prepared if that Witch is still alive.

"All the more reason to hurry up, we're only wasting time here." Homura seems to be next to obsessed with this right now... well, I guess I'd feel the same, if Sayaka left without saying anything. Especially in a situation like this. Not that I'd have to worry 'bout that, I'll always know where she is~ And I'm pretty damn grateful for that, by now.

"Wasn't there an old shrine around here?" I give Mami a short glance, I guess she'd know this region pretty well. She's the kinda person that would be interested in stuff like that, I guess.

"You think Madoka could be there?!" Homura's really beginning to annoy me... but I'll just have to grit my teeth and bear it. At least for now.

"It should be that way, it would be worth taking a look at. I don't know why else she'd come here, there's nothing else in this area." A shrine, huh? Something like a church, I guess. Never been to one of those before, father would've been left heartbroken if any of us went to different places. Or gone on a rampage, probably more likely... 'sides, after the whole disaster I never felt any reason to visit them either. Well, it's probably all just superstition either way, the whole religion stuff. Or the gods are pretty mean bastards. Regardless of which it is, there's no reason to worship 'em.

"I think I can sense her... Madoka has to be close to the centre of that bad energy! Let's hurry, we can't let her fight all alone!" Maybe Madoka is just as much of an idiot as Sayaka, in the end. I bet Sayaka would've also lured it out here and fought it alone, if she could have. All the more reason to be happy for this 'leash' that's binding us together. I just feel as if Sayaka would leave for real if it wasn't for that...

"Sayaka is right, we're almost there. Prepare yourselves..." Mami seems to be pretty tense as well, she's got a lot of experience. Even more than me. So, if she thinks it's bad... not good news. We're still running through the forest. Homura seems to be getting rather tired, but I don't think she's gonna stop before she knows Madoka is fine.

"There, at the shrine... that's her, isn't it?" I ask the others, to make sure. That shrine's little more than a small room carved into the mountain with a statue in it, I was expecting something bigger. Madoka seems to be kneeling in front of it, in full gear, by the looks of it she's praying.

"MADOKA! What are you doing out here, all alone?! The others told me that Walpurgisnacht might still be..." Madoka barely seems to register us, not even Homura. She seems to be focused on her prayer or whatever she's doing there. I can feel it as well now, something is definitely wrong here... it feels a little bit like the inside of a labyrinth, only much more intense. It feels like a trap...

"Homura... everyone, I told you not to..." Madoka finally turns around, but she's nothing like the Madoka I got to know. She still looks mostly the same, but her face, her expression... there's none of the happiness or brightness she once had left. She looks almost the same as Sayaka did, back then. Her face has a mournful smile, it's givin' me the creeps...

"Madoka... I'm sorry about before, how I reacted to you and Homura. I'm fine with it, really. Could you come back with us? We can't really start the celebration without you, right? And if there's anything left... we should do it together." Sayaka tries to be as casual and nice as possible, from what I can tell. Her smile looks a little bit fake, I can feel her fear... though I really don't get it. I mean, Walpurgisnacht was done for, right?! So why does it feel like this? Why is it still...

"You have to hurry up and leave... I'll follow you later, definitely. Just protect the shelter and wait a little while longer..." It's not difficult to notice that Madoka is lying. She does even worse at that than Sayaka.

"Madoka, I won't leave without you! You said we'd do this **together**! I'm not leaving without you... not now, not ever! You will come with us or I'll stay with you!" Homura is starting to sound a little bit creepy there... then again, she always was. She seems to be completely obsessed with Madoka, to the point where it stops being charming and whatnot. Then again, I guess it'd look the same if someone saw how I think of Sayaka...

"I'm sorry, Homura... please, turn back. You also, Sayaka-chan. Mami-san and Kyouko-chan as well. I can't hold out much longer, please protect everyone!" That thing in her hands... her Soul Gem. It's almost black by now, only a very weak pink gleam remains. I can already tell what's gonna happen next, Homura and Sayaka seem to notice it as well now. Damn it, that idiot's gonna...!

"Madoka, we have some Grief Seeds left... we can spare two or three! Or more, if we have to! We'll get even more, whatever it takes... so just let us help you." Sheesh, Sayaka is making promises she can't keep again... but it can't be helped. If I told her that we barely have enough left for ourselves she'd probably hate me.

"You need them more than I do. I already tried it, it's no use. Leave, befo- ugh..." She falls to her knees, she's trying really hard to keep it under control... but at this point she's fighting a losing battle. Homura rushes to her side, Mami and Sayaka as well. I slowly walk towards them, though I don't really know what we're even trying to accomplish here. "Get away right now, or I can't guarantee your safety! Please, just trust me..."

"Madoka, please. You can have mine as well, though I only have one. It's going to be alright, we're all here for you." Mami takes out her Grief Seed and brings it closer to Madoka's Soul Gem, the taint seems to move to the Grief Seed... but it doesn't fade either. Her Soul Gem remains black, it's just... we have to get the hell outta here!

"Sayaka, I'm really sorry, but... we can't stay! Madoka is doing her best to save us and we can't do anything. C'mon, we can't let that go to waste!" I yank on her shoulder, she seems to be crying... she understands, she knows it. She knows I'm right, but she doesn't want to accept it. She doesn't want Madoka to be the 'hero', if anything she probably wishes she'd be in Madoka's place right now. I hate that 'bout her... but it's also part of the reason why I like her so much.

"Sayaka-chan, please... I know that you promised to protect me, and I'm... really grateful that you protected me, until now. But just this once... let me protect everyone. Listen to Kyouko-chan. Mami-san as well... and Homura, please... you have to go with them! Protect my family..." Sayaka finally lets go of Madoka and looks at me, she's still crying. I wipe her tears away, but more roll down her cheeks immediately. I take her hand and slowly lead her away. She seems to hate herself right now, she really doesn't want to leave... but I won't let her turn back.

"Hey, Mami... come with us. They need a moment." I grab Mami's sleeve and drag both her and Sayaka away. I'm really sorry for Homura, even if she was a real bitch lately... no one deserves that. Being forced to watch as that happens, unable to do a damn thing...

"What is the meaning of this, Kyouko?!" After a while Mami speaks up, she seems to be really mad. Sayaka is still crying. I give her a hug and wipe some of her tears away, though she doesn't really respond...

"Sorry, it ain't your business. Just come along, we wouldn't want to bother 'em right now." I dunno what's gonna happen... but it won't be pretty. Maybe Homura will kill Madoka and turn back time... maybe Madoka will turn. Hell, maybe both of them will...

"Don't even... *sniff* think that. They will be fine, just give them..." Sayaka's strength seems to leave her completely, I gently put her down on the floor.

"Kyouko, I expect an explanation, right now! If you can't give me a good reason to run I will go back to those two, and so help me God, I'm goi-" She's suddenly cut off as a strong gust seems to blow through the whole forest... more like a damn typhoon! I quickly get to the ground and grab Sayaka, but... there's nothing to hold on! We'll get-

...

**?**

...

"You are here, again?"

"I never truly left."

"Well, it looks as if we won. Kaname Madoka's energy is ours."

"And? Her raw potential is incredible, I won't deny that. However, she wasn't the reason why I decided to come here."

"Still those two? Can't you feel the power of this Witch?"

"Its power is insignificant. It's still subject to the laws of this universe, just like you. That's why you never will reach up to my feet. You can't even use magic yourself, you need a different source. A pathetic machine, left behind by people who did understand... but they never completed you, did they?"

"Yet we have accomplished much more than you, Messelah. Our bodies might be organic, but our minds have ascended. We aren't held back by emotion and instincts. We counteract entropy, as our creators intended. They died out because of their own folly."

"I won't deny that. It's simply... amusing."

"We don't understand."

"That's right, and you won't. Not for a long time to come. Or for mere moments... or was it going to happen in the past? Time is such a confusing concept, once you are no longer bound by it... regardless of that, let's leave such idle chatter for another time. With your current methods you won't accomplish anything, that much is certain. All you can accomplish is stagnation and stagnation only delays the inevitable."

"What do you want from them?"

"What do I want, indeed... they have potential. Sakura Kyouko, was it? She isn't quite ready for it. However, Miki Sayaka... I will test her. The chances are next to nonexistent... but I have all the time and subjects I need. No matter how many break in the process, it makes no difference. Without consequence. So long as I can reach my goal, nothing else matters. We have something in common, after all. Though our goals couldn't be more different."

"You won't have much time left to test anything. The Witch is completely out of control and stronger than ever."

"As I said before, I have all the time I may need. Besides, they aren't done just yet."

...

**Homura's POV**

...

How... how could this happen?! Everything was going perfectly... so why?! I was blown away, there is only complete darkness where Madoka used to be... it's spreading over the forest, engulfing everything in its way. I can see Sayaka somewhere in the middle of it, she's holding it off... no, she's protecting Kyouko. I think she's unconscious... Sayaka notices me. I can see her pleading eyes, she wants me to save Kyouko...

No matter. They are already lost. I can't think about them anymore. Madoka, my Madoka... I need to turn back time and save her! I prepare for it, the darkness is spreading even further. I can't even see the sky anymore, I can feel my magic starting to work... huh? What is...? It didn't work?! I try it again, but my magic... it's missing! I stop time, that seems to work... but why can't I go back?! I have to return, I have to...

_It's useless. All that time, and you never noticed?_ I look around, but I see no one...

_Who's there?! Who are you, and what do you mean?!_ I'm completely confused and scared, I don't get it... it always worked! Why now, why...?

_You never did 'travel back in time'._ What?!

_Explain yourself! Who are you, and what do you mean?!_ I don't understand anything anymore... what's going on? I only see the darkness, it's spreading even further... it looks like a black ocean, swallowing and drowning anything it touches. I start running away...

_Your memory is send back. Think of it as... it would be simple to compare it to a computer. You save the data and send it to your past self, starting a new timeline... however, the 'old you' doesn't cease to exist. You only further the cycle of misery, for yourself and everyone else. They are affected even more than you. In a way it's your fault..._ I really don't get it anymore... I just keep running, away from the darkness. They are probably already...

_So Incubator fooled me?!_

_In a way. It did give you the ability to go back in time... just not your body. That would get too messy, you can't have two of you in the same universe at once. Your current self can't simply be removed from the reality of this universe either. Any scenarios like those would violate various natural laws. But your memories, your thoughts, your emotions... that doesn't affect the natural laws. _I see... I guess that makes sense? I'm not so sure, but it sounds reasonable.

_And how is all of this my fault?! I didn't do anything wrong!_ I only try to make everything right...

_Not all of it, by no means. However, Kaname Madoka's power as a Witch... that is a result of your hope and love for her. It empowers her, and thus empowers the Witch she will eventually become._ What?! No! NO WAY! That can't be true! That makes absolutely no- _Think about it. Hope, love, all of those things... they make Magical Girls, as you call them, stronger. Then what would happen if someone collected the hope and love of multiple timelines and focused them in one place, around one person?_

_You... you are lying! _

_Or should we think about Miki Sayaka? Her fate... it is also your doing_. What?!

_No, it's her own fault, her fault alone! She shouldn't have become a Magical Girl to begin with! It's all her fault!_ That's right, it's Sayaka's fault! She's the one who always messes everything up... she always does!

_Indeed, she shouldn't have become a Magical Girl. She wasn't meant to become one. Don't you see? There you have the reason for her fate. It's quite ironic, in a way. If you hadn't had hope in her in the beginning she wouldn't have been able to become a Magical Girl. And if you wouldn't constantly push your burden on her and make her your scapegoat... she wouldn't always end up as a Witch._ That's preposterous! It is her fault, she had to mess it all up! She told Madoka to become a Magical Girl when she learned of it, she blamed me...!

_I'm not responsible for that! _It's just...

_You don't have to deny it. At first you thought 'If Sayaka became a Magical Girl and suffered Madoka won't have to'. You carried it around for some timelines, and she changed. All the people you are connected to change with your thoughts of them. How about Sakura Kyouko? She only came by chance, didn't she? Yet she returns in almost any of the new timelines you created. Granted, that isn't entirely your doing, but you can't deny that you have a certain influence on it. _That's... it's not connected to me, that's because Mami dies! I mean, she does usually come, even when Mami doesn't die... but that's different!

_I don't care who you are or why you know any of that... but leave me alone already!_ I can't take it, I can't accept that... it's not my fault!

_No. For once you should carefully think about the impact of your thoughts and choices, your decisions and methods. The death of Tomoe Mami also became a frequent thing, after what happened when you revealed the truth to her, didn't it? Did you ever stop to think about any of that? I doubt it._ I don't care who she is, she's just lying! She knows nothing about me or time travelling or anything!

_And Walpurgisnacht?! That isn't my fault! That's the reason why everything is so messed up! _If it wasn't for Walpurgisnacht this would have never begun!

_True enough, the arrival of Walpurgisnacht isn't your doing. However, if you had learned what Walpurgisnacht is and what it does you might have been able to stop it. Yet you blindly start the next timeline, without properly reflecting on the previous ones. _What...?

_Do you mean... there is a way to stop it?!_

_Of course. Though it would require true knowledge of magic and rituals, not your little toys. Walpurgisnacht isn't originally one Witch. It is a compilation of many Witches, fused into a single one. What's more, it will take over the soul of any given Magical Girl with sufficient power, should its physical form be destroyed. Do you see your error? _That means... even if I became strong enough to defeat it... it would just possess me instead of Madoka=!

_So there is no way to defeat it, after all. It's all useless..._ The darkness is encroaching, I have to run faster...!

_I never said that. Fighting it is indeed a fool's errant, but it can be banished. You still have a chance to right some of your wrongs. Or rather, I'm willing to give you a chance to do so. What do you say?_ A... chance?

_It's still not my fault! But if there is a chance to right this... I will take it. What do I need to do?_ It doesn't mean anything either way, the darkness has almost reached me now.

_We shall discuss this later. Just close your eyes, I will take you to safety. _I do as I'm told, though it's probably just useless. I feel so tired all of a sudden... it'll probably be fine, right? Just sleep, with Madoka...

...

**Sayaka's POV**

...

Even though we tried to escape... it was pointless, after all. I don't know what I did, but I managed to push back against that black... whatever it is. It's burning through my magic, I don't know how long I can keep this up. But if I can keep Kyouko safe... just a little longer! The dome of blue light around us is flickering...! I need to put everything I have, everything that I am, into it! I don't even care if it consumes me completely, if I can just...

But the darkness is stronger. No matter how much I put into this barrier, it just keeps getting weaker... I move closer to Kyouko and let it shrink, until there's just enough to keep the darkness away. Still, my power is waning, more and more... I still don't really understand it. I knew something was wrong the second we left, but this?! It's even worse than before, this Witch is much stronger than Walpurgisnacht ever was!

I think I can see some Familiars spawning in the darkness, though I can't really tell them apart. They seem to reach through the small bubble that's left... I summon some more swords and hurl them into the darkness. I don't know if it helps, but it's better than nothing. Whenever one reaches through I cut it, though my movements are getting slower and slower... I can't keep this up forever, and I know it. It feels as if I was... fading.

But I can't give in to it. As long as I can so much as think, I will continue! If I even have an ounce of anything left... I will give it! I turn around and slash apart some tendrils that reached out for Kyouko, just in time. Kyouko... just a little bit longer. I won't last much longer, but until you can escape... this Witch won't be able to keep it up forever either. If I just hold on... Kyouko might have a chance.

I feel cold, empty... more and more like ash. The embers that are my very being... I can barely feel a single spark left. For this city, for dad, for everyone... I can't feel it anymore. I don't feel the passion for protecting them, not even Madoka or Kyousuke. That's right, Madoka is already... I focus on the only thing I might still be able to protect... Kyouko. We didn't get to spend as much time together as she wanted to, in the end. I know that she wanted it to last longer.

I'm not keen on dying either, or turning... then again, if I use it all up now, there won't be anything left to turn. I redouble my efforts at that thought, it might keep me going for a little while longer. I know that it won't change anything, but it still makes me happy. If there is such a thing as an afterlife, or maybe rebirth, or simply fading away... I want to face it without regret. The only regret I would have, like this... is not spending more time with Kyouko.

I wish I could have helped her more, taken her burden from her... but I'd be too weak to carry it either way. I can only admire her incredible strength. She had nothing left, but she moved on, pushed herself further and further. If only I could be that strong, just this once... maybe I could protect her. I no longer think it can be defeated, that Witch. But if I could just save Kyouko... I try to wake her up, but she doesn't respond.

Still, a little more... just a little bit. Sooner or later my strength, my very soul, will wane. But until that time comes...! I slash at the darkness again, though I can't even summon new swords now. I have to put it all into this barrier. I feel almost empty, even my memories... it feels as if even that was fading. I can't even bring myself to care, all I have to care about is Kyouko. Just her, nothing else. I leave it all to my barrier, a little bubble of sea foam in a vast black ocean.

...

How long has it been? Minutes? Hours? I can barely remember who I am... what was it? Kyouko... no, that wasn't it. But what's the difference? I know that I have to protect her, that's enough. I slash at the darkness, again and again. It doesn't matter what happens to me, so long as even a fragment is left... I will protect her! I don't know anything else, there's no need for anything else. That is all that matters!

The darkness is getting stronger and stronger, it's... keep it together. You still have a little bit left, whoever you are... right? That's right. I still have Kyouko, what I remember of our time... still, I hesitate to give that as well. I have nothing else left. No past, no present, not even a future. If I gave that up, my feelings and thoughts about her... I'd truly have nothing left. I wouldn't even exist anymore. I couldn't even remember her. But if that's what it takes...

_Stop it. That isn't necessary, foolish girl._ Who...?

_What do you want? _I can't focus on that, I have to...

_You sit in front of a spring, yet you'd rather die of thirst, holding on to what little water you have while it's running through your fingers? All you would have to do is to bend over and drink. There is more than enough power to protect everything, if you would only take it._ I don't understand... my mind is getting hazy. My precious memories...

_What do you mean...?_

_This very darkness... take it! Use it. Prove yourself worthy and make it subservient to your will. Overcome yourself and use it!_ I... I can't! If I let it in, if I don't protect Kyouko, I will...

_I mustn't! Not while I can still..._ I have to stay strong, if my resolve falters now...

_You have but moments left. Would you truly abandon her, just for your selfish pride? Would you be unwilling to fall for her, after all you went through together?_ Fall for her... I don't get it, but it makes sense. How strong could my resolve be... if there was a way and I didn't take it?! I can't hold on, I finally let the barrier dissolve. _That's it... you almost have it. Can you feel it, this dark power all around you? Good, and now... take it all in!_

I no longer have any choice. I couldn't have held on to my barrier... and the darkness crashes in over us. But still, in this very darkness... I can feel power! I try to take it in, it doesn't resist. I allow it into my soul, I let it taint my thoughts, my feelings, my very being... but it doesn't feel that bad~ It's all coming back to me. My memories, my emotions... it's running wild! But I don't mind, not even if it boils over!

Pure, unadulterated power... I never knew what it would feel like. Not until now. But now... I burst out laughing, all my prior resistance feels so silly. It was futile. My aspirations, my thoughts, my feelings, all of it was stupid. But with this power...! I plunge my sword into my chest, I just know that it's supposed to be this way. Blood is gushing out from the wound, it's collecting on the ground. The pool at my feet is slowly changing, taking a shape... all that's left is a name, and I know which name it will listen to.

_Oktavia von Seckendorff, I call upon you! Rise, rise and...!_ Blood and darkness blend and take shape. Beautiful music starts playing as I abandon my body and soul to take a new form. I feel the power, more than I ever possessed... more than I ever should have possessed. An armour and a helmet protect me now, nothing will hurt me anymore. This is dark power, tainted power... but now it is my power. It is the power I will use to protect Kyouko!

She seems so small, my former body collapsed on the ground next to her. I gently extend a gloved hand towards her. I don't know what this makes me, what I am... am I a Witch now? A Magical Girl? Just human? Something else entirely...? I don't know. I don't even care. For now I have to destroy this darkness. I turn away from Kyouko and swing my sword, it cleaves right through it. More and more, I hit it again and again! This is incredible, this raw power! I take in even more with every swing of my sword, yet there's still so much~

This has to be my reward. This power... with it I could do anything I want to. I could bring judgement and justice to the world! I could make anyone pay for their crimes, even Kyubey, even Homura, all those who were stronger than me... I could judge the whole world! Wouldn't that be fitting? Ah, it feels so good to be free~ This is... the real me, isn't it? I can just drop the pretence. I am myself, not some hero, and this darkness is a part of me.

My sword crashes down on the darkness and cuts through it yet again. Ah, the music... I feel like I'm going crazy~ It's like that other Witch. I bring my sword down on it, again and again... the darkness splashes around, like blood. It's incredible! I can hear the voices, the cries. They create a chorus, endless despair, endless fear... it's beautiful. And these feelings, this power... it is my only hope. The darkness gives way as I cut right through it, it becomes a part of me. I just need to continue...

After a while it's just the dark evening again, the negative energy is vanishing. No, not vanishing... it's all stored up in me. The hatred, fear, despair... they are tearing at me, they want to be free. But I can't let them go, I have to imprison them. Broken dreams and promises, unfulfilled feelings... I have to perish, and they have to perish with me. Soon the darkness seems to be gone completely, all around us.

Kyouko... should she be judged as well? What punishment would be fitting for her crimes? Should I drag her into the darkness as well? That's what she was going to do to me, after all. She was going to make this our fate... yet she 'saved me' from it. Maybe I should just kill her, that would be merciful. Yet I can't seem to find the strength to lift my sword again, not when I look at her... she really messed me up back then, didn't she? I can't tell what she did to me, but I find myself unable to hurt her.

Then should I turn back? I try to remove the helmet again, but it won't even budge. The armour as well, I can't escape... I'm trapped, the darkness is barely contained. But maybe this isn't so bad? I just have to find some way to destroy myself, without destroying her. I look down, I can see some of the darkness oozing out from my armour... but do I want to destroy it? With this power as my own...

I begin to understand Witches. With this there are no restrictions or rules, you exist outside of everything. Nothing can hold you back... nothing but yourself. And who would listen to reason, in such a position? I could rule the world! I could save it! I could bring justice to it, punishing the wicked and protecting the helpless. But I have learned so much over those last days... back then, I wouldn't have hesitated.

But the world, the people... it isn't just black and white, is it? Judgement... it's not my place to judge. Every last one of us has darkness in their soul. If I started judging people for it... I don't think I could stop. And just as all of us have darkness in their souls, there is also light. Homura, for example. She hurt me a lot, but she did it to protect Madoka. Is that truly something that should be punished?

I can feel Madoka in this darkness, though she's incredibly weak... I try to call out to her, but I can't. At least I won't be all alone, huh? Kyouko... I will have to abandon her, in the end. That's something I can't help regretting... I wish I could watch over her, wherever I may end up. Heaven and hell, such silly concepts... I don't care for that anymore. I don't need a reward for my journey, this journey was my reward. And I will gladly accept it.

Huh? Suddenly I feel clear again, the whispers cease. I am... Sayaka? That's right, I'm not... no, that's not it. That just now was also me. But what is... I stare up at the sky, the moon... I feel calm again, even in my current form. Even in this darkest of nights... silver light is covering everything. I feel captivated by its sight, it soothes the rage and pain. Somehow I understand, I feel at ease. No more fear or pain, I feel serene...

_You seem to understand a lot more now. With this knowledge, what would you do?_

_There's only one thing left to do, right? I don't know who you are, but if you could do it..._ She seems to possess power. Maybe enough power to destroy what I became.

_I certainly could... but is that truly what you desire?_ What I want... what does it matter?

_At this point... there's only one choice, right?_ I'm beyond salvation or anything like that. Right now I can control this power, but as soon as the moon is covered again...

_Entertain a thought, would you? Incubator isn't the only one capable of granting wishes. _Wishes... that's what started all of this, isn't it? Foolish and childish wishes. Naive children, who knew nothing of this world...

_By now I know better than accepting such offers. There will be a price to pay, I won't make the same mistakes twice. Thanks for your offer, but no thanks._ She wouldn't act out of the goodness of her heart, I can tell that much.

_Haha, you have me all figured out, don't you? Of course you would be right, under normal circumstances... but I enjoyed the show. Besides, I found something much more valuable than I could have imagined. You have proven yourself to me, and I recognise your power. State your wish, I will make it come true._ I should know better, I really should... sweet lies from a silver tongue. Would everything just repeat? I guess I'm still a fool, after all.

_Then take this darkness away and save us!_ I can't just abandon Kyouko, in the end. I get the feeling that it will cost me dearly, but... suddenly there's a blinding light-

_Priestess, you were the one to answer my call. The time has finally come._ Another voice... also a girl. Her voice is so soothing, I can feel myself relaxing... Light, all around me, as far as I can see. It's not the same as the moonlight, but still pleasant. Warm...

_Who... are you?_ I feel confused, but it's also a pleasant sensation. The darkness seems to lift, ever so slowly...

_Weren't you taught anything by your elders? I am the light of Egypt. In this darkest of hours, you have awoken me. Surely you didn't do so unintentionally?_ Egypt... huh? What's going on now? Maybe...

_This isn't Egypt, we're in Japan._ I can finally see her, she looks so small. She's dressed in a white tunic, her skin a fairly dark shade. In her left hand she carries something resembling a cross, though it has a loop... I think I saw that in the museum. An ankh, right? In her right hand a staff, its head looking like a serpent. Over her head there's a golden disk, I guess it's supposed to be the sun? Her curly black hair reaches to her feet. Her face is incredibly smooth and beautiful, with cheerful brown eyes.

_This isn't Egypt? I see... then you must be a local priestess. Tell me, what god do you follow?_ What god...?

_I don't exactly follow any god that strictly... I'm not some priestess. I'm just a Magical Girl._ Somehow the darkness seems to fade more and more, it's drawn towards her. Yet her light doesn't seem to falter...

_How very confusing. I was told that the age of the gods was nearing its end, but this... I see. It must indeed be the darkest hour. I thank you for returning me to the world of the living nonetheless. It was your blood that resurrected my body, priestess._ My blood? I think I'm starting to understand...

_You are that princess... Beketamun, was it?_ She is that supposed Witch...

_Indeed, that's my name, though high priestess would be more appropriate. But as much as I praise your efforts, I have to scold you for it as well. It is nothing short of a miracle that you live, the ritual was intended for three priestesses spilling some of their sacred blood on my tomb. _I don't really get all that talk about miracles and priestesses...

_I didn't partake in any rituals. It was more of an accident that my blood ended up on your sarcophagus..._

_Be that as it may, you brought me back and for that I am grateful. The gates of death remain closed for me, I was simply in a dreamless sleep. But tell me, good priestess, what has become of my home? Has Egypt been conquered? Was my tomb pillaged, my sarcophagus taken? I can feel the presence of a tomb robber._ A tomb robber? I really don't get any of it.

_I don't know, your sarcophagus was in a museum... maybe that's what you mean?_ Now she looks equally confused.

_A museum? What would my sarcophagus do in such a place?_ I feel kind of sorry for her...

_The Egypt you knew... it's probably long gone. Grave robbers and historians opened most of the tombs and took what was inside. I'm sorry..._ I feel tactless, just telling her that... but I don't know what else I should tell her. Is there a way to say that without being tactless? Her family, her friends, all dead, their corpses out for display or desecrated for entertainment... that's just too cruel. Yet she simply smiles...

_I see. Lady Messelah was right, as I expected. Regardless of that... you should return to your body._ My body... I remember. I left it, in order to...

_My body is just a corpse, whether I'm in it or-_

_Silence. I expected you to know better, priestess. The body is a part of the soul. Return to it._ I guess... Kyouko would be upset with me if I didn't return. I want to greet her with a smile, when she comes to. I still feel slightly uncomfortable about it, but it can't be helped. I try to return to my body and slowly, incredibly slowly... I feel it again. My hands, my feet, my heart... even if it's all just make-believe, it feels reassuring.

...

**Author's note**: Yet another possible bad end, but we just couldn't bring ourselves to end it like that. Also, what better day to upload this than Walpurgisnacht itself? At this point we'd like to apologise for not uploading in a while. We've been working on a lot of things... and you get three chapters, all at once!


	16. Loss

**Kyouko's POV**

...

Uh... my head hurts. I feel really uncomfortable right now, something's poking into my back... I slowly push myself up and open my eyes. The sky is black already, I can see the moon and some stars. We were looking for Madoka, she was about to turn... then there was only darkness. Sayaka... I think she tried to protect me when we were blown away. Where is she?! I quickly get up, though my head is still spinning...

"Sayaka?!" I can see her now, she's standing in front of a strange girl... she seems to be fine! I run up to her and hug her before she can even turn around, I'm just so glad...

"Morning. Did you try to impersonate sleeping beauty again? It was a good try, at least you had the sleeping part right." She just grins, I could almost cry from joy! She's here, she's really here with me! I thought... if I opened my eyes again, she would be gone. But here she is, alive and well!

"Did someone ever tell you just how much of an idiot you are?!" I pretend to be indignant, but I can't help grinning myself. "So, what happened?"

"That's..." She seems to be pretty sad, I can tell that much. So not much good, I guess. "That Witch... it possessed Madoka. You were knocked unconscious and I couldn't carry you away, so I had to protect you. I fought against it, but it was far too strong. I thought I'd definitely lose, but luckily some other Magical Girls arrived to help us. Oh, and this is the princess from the museum." Sayaka nods towards the girl in front of her, she looks pretty damn weird...

"I guess I should say 'thanks' then? Fine, thanks. Nice to meet ya." I feel kinda sorry for Sayaka... she just lost her best friend. I would've thought that... well, better not speak of the devil, huh?

_Could you... repeat that? I can't understand you very well_. It wasn't that difficult to understand, was it? Maybe she's just screwing with me...

"I said 'Thanks, nice to meet ya'. Better?" She just shakes her head, she's definitely screwing with me!

_Oh, Kyouko... I think she means telepathy. It makes sense, I guess... she wouldn't know Japanese._ How would telepathy stuff help then? *Sigh* Well, it's worth a shot.

_Thanks, nice to meet ya! There, satisfied now?!_

_You are called Kyouko? I see. My name is Beketamun and there's no reason to thank me. I merely attended to my duties, as the gods commanded me._ Wow... one sentence and two ways of pissing me off already. Fake humility and piety...

_Alright, I take it back. No thanks then._ That's what she gets for being like that. It's her own fault, if she's being like that she can expect no gratitude from me.

_Kyouko, come on! Don't be like that... without her we'd be dead, or worse._ So what? It was her decision to help us. I'm glad she did, but I can't stand her attitude. _She doesn't mean it like that, she's just a little bit... difficult._

_No reason to apologise for her, priestess. I would want no gratitude from a grave robber. The only thing I could desire from such a vile creature... is her life._ She's pretty nutty, huh?

_Hehe, bring it on! Try me._ I manifest my spear and grin, I was kinda missing that. Just having a good time, beating up some idiots... 'bout damn time I get to do that again.

_Come on, please stop... there's no need to fight, this is just a misunderstanding. Right, Kyouko?_ I have no idea what she meant with 'grave robber' and all that, but I don't really care either. If she's looking for a fight, that's fine by me.

_She has something from a tomb, therefore she must be punished. I call upon you, Anubis. Heed my call and fulfil your duty._ Somehow there's a really unpleasant aura around her now, I get the feeling that she's being serious here... well, that's also fine. I charge at her and strike her with my spear, but she blocks it with her strange staff. She's pretty good, I'll give her that... not some newbie I can just kick around and have my fun with.

_Hey, stop it right now, or...!_ Sayaka seems to be pretty pissed, but whatever... that bitch has it coming. I just attack her, again and again. She's pretty strong, but not as strong as me. I still get a pretty bad feeling from her, but her defence is weakening. Just a little more and that's gonna be it!

_The time has come. The weighting of your soul would hardly be necessary and you won't have a proper funeral either. A soul so sinful... Ammut will have a feast tonight._ It's getting even worse now, she was preparing something. I can sense powerful magic coming from her, maybe I underestimated her? Suddenly it escalates, this is...! What the heck?! It takes a form! A... a dog? What...

_Are you fucking kidding me?_ A black dog, it looks a lot like those in the museum. It's just sitting there, staring at me... seriously, what the hell? I thought she was preparing for something big, but she just... summoned a dog?

_What in Ra's name is the meaning of this?!_ She seems to be just 'bout as confused as me right now. The dog gives her a short glare, then it idly looks at me again. I just lower my weapon, I don't even... _I called you to deliver judgement on this grave robber, as is your task!_ I almost burst out laughing, this is just too funny.

_That, I will not permit._ Huh? I know that voice...

_Lady Messelah?! I... forgive me. Though might I inquire why you would protect her?_ She's on her knees now, looks better already. Hehe~

_She didn't rob any grave, foolish girl. She simply stole something from thieves. That's hardly a crime, is it? Yet you would call upon a god to deliver judgement?_ There she is, for the first time I can actually see her. She's dressed in a really... weird dress. I don't know how else to describe it. It seems to be more of a sketch book in dress format. There're all kinds of geometrical figures and lines. Her hair is a dark blue and looks pretty messy, it goes all the way down to her hip. Her face is mostly covered by a book she seems to be reading in, I can only see some big glasses behind it.

_In that case no crime was committed, at least not by her hands. I apologise for my rash behaviour._ She makes some gestures and the dog vanishes again, though I don't think it could've done much either way.

_You are... that girl, from the museum? The one who helped me? _I just wanna confirm it. For a moment she looks at me, then her eyes are glued back to her book.

_Yes, yes. Get your Soul Gem out and cleanse it already, you haven't come this far only to turn here. _I do as she says, though it doesn't look too bad. Sayaka's half is a little bit darker than mine, but both aren't that bad.

_Sorry, but ya got any Grief Seeds?_ I fear we pretty much ran out, and Walpurgisnacht didn't have any loot... talk 'bout a disappointing final boss.

_Not quite, but that won't be necessary. We have a source of infinite light at our disposal, after all. Isn't that right?_ At that the weirdo takes out what appears to be her Soul Gem. It's completely different from anything I've ever seen, it has no colour. It's completely white, emitting a blinding light... I can't even look at it! I close my eyes, it's like looking at the sun...

_Consider it compensation for my behaviour before._ It feels warm, gentle, good... when the light finally disappears again I open my eyes. My half is a bright red, the usual. Though Sayaka's...

_Hey, why does it stay dark?! It's supposed to be a lot brighter right after getting cleaned!_

_Her magic is almost exhausted. While you were unconscious she took the entire darkness that was collected in this place into her soul. All of the dark energies from Walpurgisnacht and anything else._ **WHAT THE HELL?!** But...

_She ain't a Witch, so what should we do?_ I'll really have to scold her this time...

_That would require... some explanations, I suppose. You see, Magical Girls are meant to run out like this. That's what they are supposed to do. A human being only has so much magic in themselves, you know? In a way magic is like a muscle. Most humans never use it, so it gets crippled as their bodies and minds grow older. If it's used it will grow stronger, things that were previously impossible will be far from it. But if you push it too hard it will collapse._ So, basically...

_Like the wishes Kyubey grants?_ Sayaka beats me to the question, though she doesn't seem to be terribly concerned...

_Yes, with magic such miracles are possible. Under normal circumstances a human being would have to dedicate their life to studying magic or other things, to get to the point of being able to perform a single 'miracle'. Kyubey, on the other hand... think of its techniques as you'd think of steroids, only working much faster. You get all the magic a life of hard work would have yielded, all at once. The downside is that magic is necessary to sustain your soul. Since you use so much magic at once... it shortens your life severely_. That little bastard! I should've known this wasn't the end of it!

_... How long?_ I just look at her, what am I supposed to do...?

_It depends on your inherent magic and how much of it you use. Most Magical Girls have no more than three years after entering a contract, if we disregard premature death and the like. Excessive use of your magic can cut it down to weeks, or less._ Great, just... great. Sayaka used her magic for two miracles already, to regenerate her body after she almost died and today, to somehow defeat Walpurgisnacht. That can't be happening!

_Then tell me how to stop it! How the hell can I help her?!_ Sayaka just looks away, somehow I feel... that she's accepted that.

_Magic has become a rather scarce resource, in this world. Kyubey uses much for its own ends. For that reason magic has... withdrawn, you could say. It's still there, but it can't be accessed. Under normal circumstances that would be the end of the story._ Under normal circumstances...

_That means you can do something 'bout it, right?! Just do it! I don't give a damn 'bout whether you expect something in return or not, just do it!_ I can't just watch as Sayaka dies!

_Kyouko, it isn't so bad... I mean, everyone will die, sooner or later. And I... I feel happy with the life I've had. I'm really happy to have been with you..._ Saying stuff like that... how can she think that's making me feel any better?!

_She certainly has a point. You will die, sooner or later. If she is happy with the life she's lived... I could separate her life from yours. She could die happily._ Not gonna happen!

_I've also been happy, for the time we had together... but I won't let you die like this! If you really want to die right here... I'll tag along._ Somehow I think that it makes Sayaka happy, though she won't show it. And I really mean it... I'd rather die with her than living on all alone.

_Kyouko..._ This ain't up for debate.

_Splendid! Indeed, that's the resolution I would expect. You can have your life... one out of a thousand? I will give you your magic, you fools! But don't come back with complaints. The most expensive things come for free, after all._ I don't have a good feeling 'bout this, needless to say... her grin ain't really helping either. _Around a decade worth of magic, that's more than you could ask for. You will still have to look for your own solutions to the 'taint'. Do you accept?_

_I accept!_ I hesitantly look at Sayaka. I can't... I can't force her to accept it. But I don't really wanna die either, there's still so much I want to...

_Fine, I will also accept... under one condition._ Never look a gift horse in the mouth, is what I'd usually say... but after all that stuff with Kyubey, I can understand her.

_A gift from Lady Messelah is one of the highest honours one can imagine, priestess. Don't ask for too much. _That bitch is also still here... *Sigh* oh well, that ain't all bad, I guess. She's a useful idiot, after all. Free Soul Gem cleaning? I can get behind that.

_Aren't you a feisty one? Very well, I like that. Name your condition._ Messelah seems to be more amused than anything else.

_Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I'm already a fool, I know... but I demand explanations. I won't just take an offer again unless I know all there is to know._ At this Messelah bursts out laughing. Or maybe rather an unpleasant cackling...

_Hahaha! You really... aren't that bad, you know? I thought you didn't learn anything from before. But by the looks of it I was wrong. Ask your questions, I will answer them._ Her book is closed now, she looks downright crazy. Sayaka has a point... I shouldn't just have agreed either, I was being the idiot here. Even after everything that happened the last time I recklessly wished for something...

_That's not how this will work. You will tell us everything there is to know. I won't fall for Kyubey's 'But you didn't ask' again. So tell us, right now. All there is to know. If you leave anything out that comes back to bite us I will hunt you down, I will find you, and I will..._ Sayaka really seems to mean it.

_You certainly don't lack in courage, threatening someone such as myself. Very well... as I said, you can have a good death, right now. However, in a couple of months or so, what do you think will happen? Do you really think you can stand each other that long? Living your lives together and being happy? That might just be impossible for you. Would you rather quit while you're ahead, or live to see yourself fall again?_ That's... c'mon! I mean, no way, ain't happening. Sayaka won't take a coward's way out.

_Yes, I understand what you are trying to tell me. I know, you're right. Maybe it would be better for both of us, if we just... quit now. But I won't. Kyouko doesn't want it, I'll respect her wish. Is that all there is to know?_ I'm so happy, just so...! I throw my arms around her and hug her again, for real! I could feel that she was tempted to do it, to just... stop living, to die, right here and now. But she's willing to go on. For me...

_All there is to know? No matter how much you know, you will never know it all. In a way, you're still the same as the first time we met. You wouldn't remember it and I won't tell you, since you asked me not to... but I will tell you this much. Your fate is decided, and you will find it together. Forever, till the end of time itself. It will repeat, over and over again... no matter how many times, no matter how you feel, you won't part. That was your wish, and it was granted._ I don't really get it...

_You're saying... we met before?_ I mean, sure, back at the museum... but before that? I can't remember meeting her before that, goes without saying. And Sayaka... I don't think so.

_Why, yes. We met already, the first time the both of you met. Before Sayaka was able to become a Magical Girl. You wouldn't remember, nor would you know, right now. But you will, or you already have. Isn't that right... Miki Sayaka?_

...

**?**

...

_She's really scary, huh? She wasn't even addressing me. Well, not the me that was there. I think she was talking about the real me, the me that is watching this scene with you, right now. _

_I don't really know what to think of her. That timeline she is talking about..._

_I'm still looking for it, Madoka. But, if I could ask you for yet another favour... could you leave that one to me as well? I know, I'm asking for a lot... but I'd really rather take care of my own mess. You do so much for everyone already, that's the least I can do. So please, rely on me a little bit more._

_You shouldn't push yourself that much, Sayaka-chan. I know you wouldn't fail, you are almost as strong as me, though our methods may differ. But that's not why I'm worried. It's just... that it will hurt you. You look through all of those timelines, and all you can see is... it has to take a lot from you. I also find it difficult, to look at Homura-chan like that. She's all alone and it hurts her... but you don't have to do this to yourself. You can just leave it to me and be happy. I can do it all on my own. This was supposed to be heaven, for everyone..._

_I know, Madoka. I know, but I can't run away from my responsibilities any longer. I'll be the first one to admit that it hurts, it really does. I want to yell at myself, tell myself so many things... but I just won't listen. So I have to take on the Witch I end up becoming, again and again. But all of this pain, all of the scars... they are another side of all the love I received. Therefore, I want to take care of myself... and Kyouko, when it's necessary. You already take care of all those other Witches and I don't want to be a burden on everyone again. I can pull my own weight now, all of me. Oktavia as well... she is a part of me. This timeline really teaches me a lot of new things. We... I will definitely help you, with everything I've got!_

_Sayaka-chan... you really are the best friend I could wish for. I really wanted this to be heaven, but for us, it might as well be hell..._

_Madoka? What do you mean by that?_

_I... I never wanted to leave Homura-chan like I did. And I want to be with her... but I just can't. I want to be together with her, but she never comes. I've waited for her, for so very long... but even here, we just can't be together. I just hurt Homura-chan even more. It's the same for you, isn't it?_

_That's... true, I guess. Every time I, well, you know... it has to hurt Kyouko, incredibly. However, I still think you did the right thing. This way I still have to leave her, time and time again, that hasn't changed. But I know that she can live in a happier world because of it. If our sacrifices can do just that much... even as she curses me or begs me to return... I'll be happy to watch over her. As Messelah said, till the end of time itself._

_Thank you, Sayaka-chan. It was... pretty difficult for me as well. I hate how this wish of mine continues to hurt them. But I couldn't do anything else. It's for the good of all Magical Girls, not just for them or us. It's better than turning into Witches, right? Right...?_

_There, there... let it all out. I guess you won't be my wife, after all. Hehe... but I'm fine with that, I guess. There's someone else I have to look after. But still, I won't just leave you all alone. If you need to take vacations or something like that... I'll be happy to fill in for you! Just like the others. We owe you enough as is, so feel free to rely on us. We're really grateful for your wish and your sacrifice, all of us here._

_I'm happy that you feel this way. I'm happy to know that there are so many Magical Girls that would be willing to step up for me, even complete strangers... whenever I doubt my wish, I just have to look at you and all the others. That gives me the strength to continue, even if it won't ever end. That is my happiness._

_As it is mine. Even if I'm just a stepping stone for Kyouko, even if she wants me to stay... I will be happy._

_Is that true, though? I thought you were past the point of lying to yourself._

_You?!_

_Ah, Messelah, is that your name? In that case... Messelah-chan? Yeah, that's it! So, what can we do for you?_

_I should feel honoured. A goddess, taking her time to talk to me... though this place is really timeless, isn't it? It's been so long since I last met one of your kind... or no time at all? Not that I wish to bother you with such idle thoughts, you have more important duties to take care of. No, I merely happened upon the both of you and wondered if Sayaka was truly happy. Complacency and happiness are vastly different, after all._

_You look right through me, don't you? It's true, I'm not entirely happy... but I'm still happier than before. The existence that I am now... isn't this better than the selfish little girl I was before?_

_Yet I still see the very same girl, right in front of my eyes. You deal with your problems in a slightly different manner, but you still bottle everything up._

_No. I don't do that any longer. I decided to show this to Madoka, to tell her how I felt, and everything. I'm opening up to her, as I did with Kyouko._

_You do? Then why leave out the details? You aren't going to show it all to her, are you? As a matter of fact, I'm rather certain you won't. In that timeline you really did some things that were..._

_That's... that's not the same thing! Some of those things might be really... private! Besides, I don't know how this ends either, I frankly don't even want to know it._

_Oh, private is just the right word for it... come on, I can almost feel your soul blushing! I was just teasing you... but you know that it will come to an end, right? Just like all the other ones. Nothing lasts forever. Well, except for the wish that you tied around both of your necks, like a noose. That one will last till the end of time, I wasn't joking. And as soon as one of you hangs..._

_What does she mean, Sayaka-chan? What wish did you make?_

_That's... I don't know. But I will find out. I owe us that much._

_You may continue like this, indeed. That is... until you learn of love, little mermaid. When that time comes... would you rather take the knife or turn into sea foam?_

_I can live without it, Messelah. I'm over Kyousuke, I've been over him for a while now._

_Then you would realise that you never __**truly**__ loved him. No, you were merely infatuated with him, or should I say, his music? Love will come to you, whether you want it to or don't._

_Come on, that's just silly! I mean, there's no one that loves me, it's just..._

_Messelah-chan, please... don't be so mean to Sayaka-chan. She just needs some more time to realise it, but I'm sure she will. Isn't that right?_

_What are you both talking about?!_

_You know it, don't you? I mean, you've got to have noticed by now..._

_That's... completely different! That's not the same thing, that's just...! Like sisters!_

_Yes, yes, we know... _

_Madoka, you too?! Let's... let's just continue! I don't want to hear any more of this!_

...

**Sayaka's POV**

...

_What was that supposed to mean?_ Somehow I'm getting a headache...

_As I said, no reason to concern yourself with that right now. Your wish will be granted, fine. Anything else you want to ask for? I'm in a rather generous mood. This is very entertaining, after all._ Anything else...

_Could you... return Madoka?_ I wish I could have saved her, but...

_That's not something I can do, I fear. She is gone. Or rather, I could, but... at the cost of another life. Not yours either, that of a girl that could become a Magical Girl, but hasn't yet. If you would take that offer, fine. If not I'll be on my way._ That's not... no.

_Madoka wouldn't want that. She wouldn't want anyone else to be dragged into this mess. Anyways, thank you for your help... but we also need to get going. I want to look after the shelter, see if everything is alright... and then look for Mami-san and Homura. Would you lend us a hand?_ There was so much destruction... I just hope everyone is alright.

_No need to be hasty... they are fine. That Mami girl is barely even wounded, just unconscious. You can pick her up on your way back. I will take care of Homura myself, there is nothing you could do to help her now. The shelter was damaged during the fight, but only three people died, parts of the ceiling fell down. A splendid achievement, all things considered. Well then, until we meet again._ Three people died... I guess that couldn't have been helped. We did our best, and most people made it. I wish we could have done more, especially for Madoka... but we couldn't.

_And you, Beketamun? What are you going to do now?_

_I will depart for Egypt, sooner or later. But I think I will stay for a little longer. I will take care of your Soul Gem, priestess. My light is infinite, so you don't have to worry about me._ I guess I'm glad to have her, though Kyouko doesn't seem to like the idea too much...

_Yeah, fine. Just peachy... anyways, let's get going. And while we're at it, let's look for Madoka's body. Her mom's a nice person, no body just ain't gonna cut it._ That's... I guess that's right. I just don't know... how I could look Junko or Tatsuya in the eyes, after this. But that doesn't really matter, does it? No matter what they might tell me, I owe Madoka and her family that much. Even if they hate me and blame me... they probably wouldn't even be wrong.

_Thank you, Kyouko. That really means a lot to me..._ I gently embrace her, she feels a little bit awkward... but I'm just so happy to still have her. If I had lost her today... I don't even know what I would have done. Even if it hadn't killed me right away, I already lost too many things that were precious to me. School will never be the same without Madoka, just like everything else... but at least I have someone left.

_Geez, I... I just said that 'cause you would've dragged me along either way! The Sayaka I know wouldn't leave her friends behind and nothing changed since then._ That's... I don't think that's true. Something feels different, something is just... I don't know what it is, but I can feel it. When I fought Walpurgisnacht and allowed that darkness into my soul, something changed. I don't think it will ever be the same, nothing will be.

_Sure, sure. You keep telling that to yourself. Anyways, let's go. _I let go of Kyouko and start looking for Madoka. Beketamun and Kyouko follow me, though both of them seem to be in their own worlds right now. It doesn't take us long to find Madoka, we're back where the shrine used to be. Now there's just a big scar in the land itself. That Witch destroyed the shrine, the forest, the mountain... and anything else that was in its way.

I kneel down next to Madoka, she doesn't look any different. Somehow I imagined she'd have a pained expression, maybe one of terror... instead she's just curled up in a ball, her mouth making a little 'o' and her eyes staring into the distance. She looks a little bit surprised, but also... relaxed, as if someone just took a heavy burden from her shoulders. I hesitantly reach out for her head and close her eyes. Strangely enough, I don't find myself crying.

_I suppose you have your own customs? It might seem a little bit rude, but I would gladly offer my services. Her heart was lighter than most, all that could ruin her afterlife would be her body decaying._ Beketamun gently puts a hand on my shoulder, she has a very calming smile. I can't take her offer, but I feel that she means well. It comes across wrong, I think, but she honestly believes that. I feel a little bit bad for turning her down...

_No one asked you to be all condescending, 'kay? You're just another one of those religious folks, getting all preachy again. Guess what? I bet you're all wrong anyways._ *Sigh* Somehow I get the feeling that those two were just destined to fight...

_That one's heart, however... I feel the need to have it delivered much sooner._ She manifests her staff again while Kyouko summons her spear...

_Bring it on! What're ya gonna do, summon another doggy?_ I just get between the two of them.

_This is just uncalled for! Madoka... Madoka died, and all you two can think of is pointless fighting?! Get it together, or I will beat some sense into both of you!_ I don't believe I could defeat them... but like that would stop me from trying. I just want to mourn in peace and their bickering really isn't helping. _Look, you have your differences... but you won't get anywhere either way. You can discuss it all day, all that accomplishes is you fighting. Just stop it._

_I apologise, priestess, I wish I could. But I won't let her insult the great gods of Egypt and the customs they handed down to my people._ I give Kyouko an accusing look, she really should know better...

_Hey, no way! Not gonna apologise for that. She did something stupid, I called her out on it, is all. 'sides, I won't let some nutcase tell me what I can say and what I can't!_ *Sigh* Both of them are just...

_Please, Beketamun... aren't you above this? I mean, you're supposedly some ancient priestess with incredible wisdom and all that... can't you look past small things like that? Aren't your gods above such petty insults?_ Her face contorts slightly, I think I hit a nerve...

_I never was particularly graceful, I suppose... the older priests always scolded me and Lady Messelah just laughed. I will... try to be a little more mature. Could you... try to teach me?_ Teach her?! I mean...

_I'm not really mature myself, I think..._ Though I still seem to be the most mature out of the three of us right now. _But let's try together?_

_Yes, let's! _She gives me a bright smile, she seems to have calmed down. Kyouko is just pouting, but I guess that's fine. Back to more important things.

I gently lift Madoka up, she's so light... yet it feels like the heaviest burden I ever had to carry. Could I have prevented it? I don't think so... I don't hope so. I'd rather think of it as inevitable than it being my fault. I still feel guilty, regardless of which is true. And this is still... the part that isn't that difficult. I still have to tell Junko, lie to her face... I don't even know what I should tell her. How could I explain this? Maybe I should just tell her. I could tell her the truth, though she wouldn't believe it. Either tell her a lie that she would believe or the truth that she wouldn't believe...

"Sayaka... calm down. We'll figure something out." Kyouko offers to help me, but I just shake my head. This is my burden to carry. Kyouko also seems to understand this, she just follows me again. We stay quiet for a while, there really isn't anything to say. I wonder what happened to Homura... I just hope she's fine. Not exactly for her sake... rather for Madoka's. She tried to keep us all safe.

"Miki-san? And... Madoka?! Are you alright?!" Mami runs towards us, there's some blood staining her hair. It doesn't seem to be too bad, though I might take a look at it later. That's the one thing I seem to be good at. I just wish my magic could also be used to bring Madoka back...

"Mami-san! I... I'm sorry, Madoka... Madoka died." It still feels incredibly wrong, just saying that. The words sound so small, so meaningless... they can't convey what it means. Mami-san's eyes grow wide and she starts sobbing. Then she's on the floor, crying. I've never seen her this... this helpless and vulnerable. She was always strong in front of us, even as she died to protect us...

"Get it together, Mami. Take a wild guess as to how Sayaka must be feeling right now..." Kyouko's choice of words is terrible, but I don't think it was really meant as an insult. Mami slowly wipes away her tears and gets up, though she still seems to be completely lost.

_Beketamun, would you help her?_ She just nods and supports Mami, they seem to exchange some thoughts. I get back to carrying Madoka. I still can't really grasp it... Madoka is dead. My childhood friend, my best friend for years, the kindest person I ever knew... just dead. I still don't cry, I think there has to be something wrong with me. Maybe I'm just going crazy, becoming a Witch or something like that... but it doesn't feel the same.

That darkness... it wasn't that unpleasant or painful. It was a gentle feeling, like falling asleep. Not having to deal with all that anymore, just letting everything go. No pain or sadness, no despair or anger... it was really inviting. This here... it just feels cold and unreal. I'm carrying the cold body of my best friend on my back, and I don't even find it in myself to cry. I will never see her laughing again, her bright smile, her concern for me... all of that, just gone.

...

By the time we reach the shelter I feel about ready to collapse. I'm exhausted, just so tired... I almost wish that darkness was here again so I could hide myself. I feel ashamed for coming back like this, I feel despicable... but I can't run away. I owe this to Madoka, to her family...

"Kyouko... could you look for Junko and her husband? I don't think... her little brother shouldn't have to learn it like this." I don't know how they should tell him... how could they even explain it? They have it far worse than me. Junko... she loved Madoka more than anything in this world, her whole family did. Everyone liked her, so why... why did it have to be her?! If it had just been me instead...

"I will, if you drop the goddamn self-pitying already! Geez, I can't bear listening to all of that nonsense anymore!" Hehe... I'm sorry, I guess. Kyouko just stomps off, I should really think more about how she feels.

"Kyouko, you're just impossible! You're-" I cut Mami off, she doesn't understand. I mean, really, she couldn't.

"It's fine, Mami-san. She is a little bit rough around the edges and she doesn't mince matters, but she was right. I'm sick of me being this way as well. Now that Madoka is gone... I need to step up to the plate, now more so than ever. I owe her that much, for saving our lives and for all the great times we shared. Really, I should feel ashamed of myself. If she saw me like this..." I gently set Madoka down, leaning her against a wall. She's cold and a little rigid... I sit down next to her and just stare at her.

"You think it should have been you, right? I understand that... though it should have been me. Madoka just shouldn't have made her wish for me. But she did, so now it's my obligation to live on." Mami-san is still way more mature than I am, after all.

"Living is so difficult... I kind of wish I could just die. But you are right, in a way. We owe her that much, to keep living. Though you're also wrong. Madoka knew what it would be like, she knew much more than either of us did when we started. And if she hadn't made that wish and died today... all of us would probably be dead now instead." Such a cruel world... *Sigh* Right, that won't help. I should get better soon, though I have no idea how.

_While I didn't understand your words... Madoka was a priestess, and the sacrifice is a part of that. She gladly sacrificed herself, she knew what she was doing. You never knew any of that, but she understood. You should admire her for what she is and what she did. Feel free to mourn, but do not despair._ I suppose so... it's just so difficult to understand. I never really thought much about what death meant.

"So... you did die, Mami-san. What was it like?" I kinda hope for that famous light and whatnot... but at the same time I know that won't be it. Even if that's how it is for normal human beings... Magical Girls live a dark life and die an even darker death.

"I... I don't remember what it was like. I remember what dying was like, the pain... but afterwards? I don't remember, but I know it was terrible. I don't want to experience that again, no matter what! Ah, but... sorry, I don't think it was all that bad. It was just the dying part. As I said, I don't remember..." She seems to be terrified, she's just trying to make it more bearable for me. But I can imagine what it feels like. I almost died as well and it was... pretty bad.

"Sorry for asking, that wasn't... it wasn't something one should just ask about, right?" Madoka... she didn't really die. She turned before she died. I almost did as well, though it didn't feel bad. I felt disgusted and horrible afterwards, but it was also... exhilarating. It was such a pure frenzy, something I never felt before. It felt so enticing, so addicting. The power, the madness... I don't remember it too well, but it felt... overwhelming.

"It's fine, sorry. I should be strong, not you. I barely knew Madoka for a week, and yet... I don't know what's wrong with me. Kyouko did have a point, you knew her for many years." Yet I still can't find it in myself to shed a single tear for my beloved friend... it's not that I'm not feeling sad, this is one of the saddest moments in my life. I just feel empty, it probably even happened because I accused Madoka before...

"You know... I was a terrible friend. I told Madoka I wanted to quit, I told her she should do it in my stead. Because she would be so much more powerful than useless little me. I guess she just took it to heart and..." Mami sits down next to me and hugs me, though I don't hug her back. I just feel really confused. I'm supposed to feel so many things, yet I barely feel anything. Something must have finally broken inside of me.

"I don't think so. Madoka told me a little bit about what happened and why she entered a contract. It was to help Homura, she couldn't bear watching her hurting. She also wanted to help you, but she thought you were fine with Kyouko..." Hehe, I guess she was right. I just gaze up, into the cloudy sky. I wonder what has happened to Madoka. Somehow it almost feels as if she was still close...

"She will watch over us. Don't worry, Mami-san. Madoka did what she thought was right, it wasn't our fault. It might feel that way... but Madoka wanted it to happen this way. I think she already knew what would happen. I don't know how, but she just knew." I give Mami a gentle pat on the back and push her away. Just then the moon breaks through the clouds, bathing only us in its pale light. Ah, it feels so comforting...

We just wait for Kyouko to return with Junko in silence. I simply gaze up at the moon, it feels like an old companion. I can't really put it into words, but it seems to help me. Maybe I'm just going crazy, but that's how it feels. Of course the moon couldn't actually do something like that. Then again, if magic and the like can exist, who knows? It doesn't matter. It helps me, that's all I need to know. Somehow I feel the urge to sing something...

I don't put it into words, all the thoughts and feelings, so I don't. Just a quiet humming to a melody I never heard before. The tears finally stream down my eyes... Mami seems to be crying as well, though Beketamun only seems to be slightly affected. But I... I should probably stop. It's not good if I sing. It feels as if I'm playing with other people's emotions, I shouldn't do that. I love it, but if it just hurts others...

Yet I don't stop. I continue humming a small song for Madoka and for all of us. It really feels like something fitting for a funeral, I think. But I also try to mix in some happiness, as difficult as it might be. If I use a cursed ability like this... I at least want to use it to bring a little bit of comfort to us. Maybe I could use it to cheer us up. Some cheerful songs would probably help in these dark times...

"Sayaka? She's coming..." I abruptly stop as the door swings open, Kyouko steps through. It only takes moments for Junko to follow, though she looks very hesitant and shaken. I've never seen her so weak, so afraid before...

"I'm sorry..."

...

**Author's note:** Mean cliffhanger! Well, probably not too mean, but still... anyways, this is pretty much the last chapter of the Walpurgisnacht arc. Maybe the new characters felt a little bit too Deus ex Machina-ish, but we think we'll use them in a sequel to this story some other time. Not that this one is finished yet.


	17. In loving memory

**Kyouko's POV**

...

"I'm sorry..." Sayaka sounds so incredibly weak, she's just sitting there next to Madoka, crying... I don't think I ever saw or heard her being so fragile. I asked Sayaka's dad to look after Madoka's younger brother. Worst comes to worst, I'll get her out of her. Couldn't really blame Madoka's mom for getting angry or desperate, I've been there. You just want something to strike out at and blame, no matter who or what it is.

"Madoka... oh dear god, Madoka..." Her mother sounds nothing short of broken. Sayaka slowly gets away from Madoka and makes room for them. Madoka's mom and dad fall to their knees in front of her, her father gently seems to check for a pulse... nothing, obviously. She's already dead. "How... what happened? Please..."

"We... we didn't find her at the shelter. So we went out to look for her... I think she went to look for Homura, but... we just found her like this...!" Sayaka starts sobbing again, the lies seem to hurt her almost as much as what really happened. I gently hug her, though she barely even seems to notice. She's just blankly staring ahead as her tears fall down, I feel so useless... isn't there anything I can do?!

"It's... it's alright, Sayaka-chan. We... we should be proud of Madoka, to the very end... she was the best daughter we could have wished for. Right, Junko?" Madoka's dad seems to be nice enough as well, I'm really sorry for 'em. Wish we could've done more, but...

"How... can you be... so calm?! Madoka is...!" I knew it, her mother seems to be 'bout ready to hit someone... I protectively position myself between her and Sayaka. She has every right in the world to be mad, I can't blame her for wanting to take it out on Sayaka... but I won't let her. Sayaka has already been through enough, there's no way I'll just let her be attacked on top of everything today!

"I'm not calm... not at all, Junko. But please, think of..." He nods towards Sayaka, Junko follows his look... it seems to take the fight outta her, at least a little bit. Sayaka slowly pushes me away...

"It's... it's alright, Tomohisa... I'm sorry. If we'd been faster, if I'd been faster... maybe we could have..." She standing on her own, though she doesn't seem to be very steady... _Kyouko, it's fine. Even if they hit me. I deserve it, just let them. I failed to protect Madoka, even though I promised..._ Tch, damn it! I can understand why she would feel this way, but still... Junko and the man, Tomohisa, slowly approach her. "It's my fault, I should have been there to..."

"Don't even... think that, you stupid girl!" Junko pulls Sayaka into a hug that might as well be a wrestling move, by the looks of it... *Sigh* But I guess I won't have to step in, after all. Tomohisa joins them, Mami as well... yeah, right, not gonna happen. They can do that nonsense alone, if it makes 'em feel better... I just hope it also helps Sayaka.

"Yes, it's definitely not... your fault. If anything we should be grateful. If it wasn't for you finding her and bringing her back... who knows when we would have found her, if we would have found her at all..." Sayaka only seems to feel worse by the second, she really seems to hate praise. Feels she doesn't deserve it, I guess...

"Hey, make some room for me." I really didn't want to have anything to do with this... but I can't just stand by and watch while everyone is hugging Sayaka! Damn it, I have the exclusive right to hug Sayaka, not Mami and everyone else! They make a little bit of room for me, I have to share her back with Mami... *Growl*

"No, it's... it's really... that's not all, there's..." Junko cuts her off, just before I get the chance to.

"You can tell us all there is to it some other time... you aren't in any condition to do it right now. You were always like family for Madoka and us. I don't care what else there is to it, I knew for a while that something was off about the both of you... but Madoka wouldn't talk about it. Regardless of that, she wouldn't want you to push yourself too much. She told me how you were hurting yourself because of it, that's why we had that party for you in the first place..." Junko starts crying again, hugging Sayaka even tighter.

"Exactly, we... we really appreciate all you have done for our daughter. Madoka always looked up to you and you were always there for her... you are part of our family and this family won't lose anyone else for at least the next twenty years!" Sayaka just cries even more in response, I pull my hands around to her front... damn it, not there! Now really ain't the time for that! Lower... there, that's better.

"Thank you, thank you so much... I will... tell you everything. As soon as I've come to terms with it... I'm sorry for being so selfish. Please bear with me... a little longer." I guess she wants to tell them, after all. Heh, kinda figured that would happen. Sayaka isn't a good liar and she absolutely hates it. 'sides, in this situation... I wouldn't want her to act any other way. You can't just hide something like that from her family after she died, that'd just be the worst.

"Of course, Sayaka-chan. But for now you should go back inside with your friends. The weather is still pretty bad and... we'd like a moment. Would you mind playing a little bit with Tatsuya? I'm sure he'd be happy to get to play with nice ladies like yourself." That's... I don't really know if I could deal with that. It'd probably remind me of things I'd rather...

"Oh, Tomo, you prankster! But he's right... it'd be nice if you could play a little bit with Tatsuya." They finally let go of Sayaka, Mami as well... I don't really feel like it. I think I'll hold her a little longer. Well, she doesn't seem to mind~

"Of course, and... thank you again." As she turns around I gently lift my hands to dry her tears with my sleeve. Damn, she really cried a river! Well, it'll all get better from here. Walpurgisnacht was destroyed, we won't have to worry 'bout our Soul Gem for a while, if Messelah keeps her promise... and we're still together! It couldn't really be much better, all things considered. Sure, that thing with Madoka sucks, but it's still great!

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it? From now on it's going to be alright. We really did it, Sayaka. I know you didn't always believe it, but now you can! Now we can-"

"Kyouko... just stop it, please. I know you're happy... and I'm also a little happy, but that doesn't change the fact that my best friend died today. Do you expect me to forget that after barely an hour?!" Sayaka just stomps off, I guess it was a little bit uncalled for... *Sigh* I really wish I could share this moment with Sayaka, my happiness and my love... but it really ain't the right time, I guess.

"You have to give her some time. Miki-san... no, Sayaka. Sayaka will be alright, she will get over it. She's strong, you don't have to worry so much." If only Mami knew... if only she knew that most of that is false bravado. They are very much alike, at the end of the day. Sayaka is probably close to collapsing again, the train scene all over... I can't let that happen!

"I know better than anyone what she can and can't do. Thanks for trying, _mom_." It seems to come across a little more spiteful than I intended... but I can't be bothered with apologising to her right now. I have to go after Sayaka. There are so many people... but I can feel her. I only need to follow our connection.

"Hey, Tatsu... are you alright?" She has a bright smile on her face, if I couldn't feel it I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. She's just bottling it all up again, that can't be good for her. Maybe it will be better once we're alone. I'll even cook for her and clean up, whatever it takes... though she'd better repay me once she gets better!

"Sayaka! Where are Madoka and mommy and daddy? I miss them..." It feels as if she was stabbed in her heart, but she keeps her smile in place. I gently place a hand on her back and assure her as best I can...

"Madoka... she might... she might be gone for a while. Your mum and dad will explain it to you later. But for now, should we just play a little? Waiting like this has to be boring, right?" Sayaka's dad looks a little bit lost, I told him already. He took it rather well, but he's probably still pretty awkward to be around.

"Then... let's play until Madoka comes back?" He really ain't making it easy for Sayaka, huh? He wouldn't know, obviously... *Sigh* I just put my arm around her shoulder again, she probably needs it right now. To know that there's always someone there for her.

"Yes, let's... anyways! This is Sakura Kyouko, she's a friend of mine. Tomoe Mami-san as well, let's all get along! Do you want to introduce yourself?" Mami has her usual pretentious smile on, I guess this is nothing new for her. I just keep my expression neutral, it's a pretty messed up situation. I feel really happy 'bout almost everything, but this right now is pretty awful. I'm not without sympathy for Madoka and her family...

"Hi, I'm Kana... Kaname Tatsuya! Nice to meat you, Ky-... Kyougo?" Damn, if he gets Mami's name right I'll be pissed.

"Kyouko. Ky-ou-ko. It's Kyouko, got it?" Sayaka gives me a small glance, maybe I sounded a little annoyed... geez, it's been three years since I dealt with any kind of kids.

"Kyouko... Kyouko! Got it, Kyouko!" He has a goofy smile on his face, maybe he's a little dense. Though he's pretty cute, I guess. "And you are..."

"Mami. Ma-mi. Try it with me?" Of course she has to handle it perfectly... if I didn't know any better I'd really think she's a mother already.

"Mami! Mami and Kyouko! And that lady?" He points behind us, I slowly turn around... *Sigh* That bitch is following us, should've seen it coming. I mean, she said as much. But apparently that kiddo is the only one who can see her. Well, she's still in her gear, I guess that's it. I bet Sayaka would also just like to vanish right now, but especially from his eyes.

_You can see me, little one? The blessings of youth. My name is Beketamun, it's a pleasure to meet you._ He just looks confused, I guess her babbling doesn't make much sense to him. Not that it'd make much more sense to me.

"Ah, she's... I guess Becky would work?" Sayaka looks at her questioningly, she just nods. Heh, I guess we'll go with that, her name is a real pain either way. "Anyways, could we keep this our little secret?" She just gives him a big smile and he nods enthusiastically.

"Secret, secret! Will keep it!" It ain't really easy for me either. Guess I've got a bit of a problem with kids. Not that surprising, makes me think 'bout what happened to Momo...

"Alright, what do you want to play?"

...

"So, we going home now?" Finally... thought we'd stay here forever and play with Tatsuya. Madoka's parents finally got their act together and took him, hopefully to tell him. There was an announcement just now that the danger seems to be over. I'd hope so, if that Witch got up one more time I'd have taken Sayaka and made a run for it.

"Yes, we're... going home. Didn't think I'd get to say that today, at least not without lying."

"Heh, I hear ya. Really was pretty darn close. Too close, for my tastes." I hate to admit it, but that Witch would've probably stumped us bad. Don't really get exactly what happened, but I'm glad that it happened the way it did. We hadn't been prepared for this at all. Sure, we thought we were, but...

"Don't worry about it, Saotome-san. It was the only reasonable thing to do, anyone would have done the same." Sayaka's dad seems to be getting pretty close with that teacher. Something probably happened while we were away, huh?

"Don't belittle yourself, that was amazing! If you hadn't been there I would have been crushed by that beam! If only more men had manners like that. Oh, and Kazuko is fine... I'll have to tell Nakazawa-kun about this, that's what a real man should act like! He just ran away, that..." She sure is getting worked up. One of her usual rants. Wait... that wasn't from Sayaka and I don't think she told me. So, what the heck was that?!

"Um, sorry to bother you, dad... we're going home, alright?" Sayaka seems to read the atmosphere just fine, it's like love at first sight. Well, at least for her teacher, apparently. Her dad seems to be more on the uncomfortable side.

"Ah, you weren't really bothering, Miki-san. My condolences for Madoka... anyways, how have you been? Anything new with your recent 'troubles'?" Saotome gives Sayaka a knowing wink, I think she's trying to lighten the mood a little bit. She ain't that bad, for a teacher.

"Well, it's... it's going to be fine, really." That much goes without saying. I'll just have to gather my courage and confess already! Once I do all her troubles will just be blown away, for sure! At least that's what I'd like to believe, if I didn't know how it would turn out...

"We're going to... talk some more, if you don't mind. You have your keys, right?" Sayaka just nods and we get going. Good on him, I guess. Could probably need some love in his life as well. I'll just have to figure out my own problems and get over it. Even if it won't work... I can still be happy with Sayaka.

"Mami-san, let's talk tomorrow. I think I can speak for all of us when I say I'm dead tired..." Well, I wouldn't really agree to that... but it's as good of an excuse as any to ditch her.

"Yes, of course. We can meet again, if you'd like... I'll give you a call! For now you should both rest, you did really well." Tch, speak for yourself, you barely did anything worth mentioning...

_Kyouko! That's really uncalled for!_ *Sigh* I hate the goddamn thought police part of this deal.

_Can't I even think whatever I want to?! It's not as if I told her. 'sides, I bet you'll have tons of thoughts like that once we get back to that half-wit and his gf._ Alright, maybe that one was a little bit uncalled for... but it's true.

_Let's just get going..._

...

"Alright, let's get the fun started!" We're back home. I try to turn on the lights... nothing. Great, so no games for us...

"There isn't really much fun to be had tonight. I think I'm going to bed early..." Nope, not havin' any of that!

"C'mon, be a sport! Moping around and crying won't solve your problems, yeah? So, let's get something to eat and have a nice evening. We can talk or... well, we can talk." I don't really know 'bout anything else we could do right now. I mean, we could play some games or listen to music if we had power, but since we don't... well, it's still gonna be a nice evening. I'll make it a nice evening.

_Becky, would you be fine with the couch? We used to have another futon, but..._ I guess that pest is also still here... not that I'd let her ruin this evening. Nope, I'll make it really great, I'll make it unforgettable!

_Well, I am used to better resting places than this 'couch' of yours, but I will survive._ Better for her, I'd have no trouble kicking her out either. Or stuffing her back into that sarcophagus of hers and sinking it in the ocean... well, maybe I wouldn't go that far, but you get the idea.

_Kay, great. Thanks, bye. We're gonna be busy for... well, for the next few weeks or so, you really don't have to bother getting up again. Just be a good old hag and stay quiet, yeah?_ Maybe I'm asking for trouble, Sayaka's glare seems to indicate that... but I don't really care. I can't stand 'Becky' and I won't make a secret outta it. She's staying here 'cause Sayaka allows it, she doesn't own the damn place.

_I think I shall do just that. If you could do the same..._ Hm, sounds like a truce. I don't really want to make Sayaka any more annoyed either.

_Fine, I get it. Let's agree on disagreeing or something and leave each other alone?_ Granted, I'd like to fight her... but Sayaka doesn't want me to. Usually that wouldn't stop me, but she's been through enough shit these last days. 'sides, I can't exactly make this evening great if she's around. Maybe I can try the whole romantic stuff, with candles and all that... well, scratch the romantic part. I get the feeling Sayaka wouldn't appreciate it much, not right now.

"You don't have to be that mean towards her, you know? I mean, how would you feel if you woke up in a couple thousand years and people dug up your family for fun and science or something like that?" She looking for a fight?! Damn... I mean, yeah, I get it, kinda... but that doesn't mean I get the right to force my religion, or lack thereof, down someone's throat for it! Those two things are completely unrelated!

"My family ain't got shit to do with that pretentious bitch, got it?! She doesn't look that sad either, if ya ask me. Don't try to guilt-trip me into letting her spew her nonsense unchallenged, 'cause I won't stop doing that." I can't stand that shit anymore. Religion... I actually occupied myself with some of that nonsense, after dad took everything away. I believed what someone pulled out of their ass. It's, like, the root of hypocrisy and evil or something like that.

"I didn't say your family had anything to do with it, I just said you should be a little more considerate. All of this has to be completely incomprehensible for her. She doesn't know anything about the world or customs and all that. Besides, I don't want you to get into fights with any Magical Girls we encounter. Is that really so much to ask for?" I really should stand my ground when it comes to this, but...

"Tch, it's fine. I get it. I won't be unreasonable if she can do the same. That's all you're gonna get." That's already pretty damn generous. How I treat others is my own goddamn business. I didn't insist on her kicking Homura's teeth in either, even if I think she'd have deserved it.

"Well, that's all I asked for." Now then...

...

**Sayaka's POV**

...

"You're gonna have fun now. Super fun mode, on!" *Sigh* It's not that I'm not happy, that isn't the problem. It's the exact opposite. I'm happy, that's the real problem. My best friend died, only some hours ago, and yet I'm happy. I shouldn't be able to have fun like this, I don't deserve it! Why can't Kyouko just understand that? I feel terrible for feeling happy about this, I shouldn't be able to...

"Please, just leave me alone. I know you're trying to help and I'm grateful for it... but now really isn't the time!" She has to understand this, better than anyone else. I don't want to bring up her family yet again... but I will, if she won't cut that out.

"Listen, Sayaka, it ain't that I don't get where you're coming from. It's just... that's how I dealt with all that stuff. Moping 'round won't help. After all that's happened I should be the one to be depressed and shit, but look at me now. Don't I look happy to you?" I can barely see her in the darkness, but she's making some really silly faces. It just looks hilarious... I can't help laughing a little bit. "See? Better already, yeah?"

"Fine, you got me... so, what did you have in mind?" There isn't too much we can do, I think...

"First, let's get some candles or something else. We can use our Soul Gem until we find something." She takes it out, it looks pretty normal again. My side is as clean as it was before everything started... I was sure it was done for, this time. I guess I'm not meant to die just yet. Or maybe I'm supposed to do something before I do? Or I'm just reading way too much into it. That's probably it...

"I think there are some in my room. But I won't be able to make dinner tonight, alright?" Kyouko just pouts a little, I can't really help it. I'd gladly cook for her, but the stove won't work without electricity, so no cooking today. I'd even take her out for dinner, but it'd probably be too late for that, even if all the stores weren't closed because of Walpurgisnacht.

"Glad I bought all those snacks now, eh?" I feel around in the darkness, I'm just glad that everything's as tidy as it is. Our Soul Gem helps a little bit, but we can't use it too much either. Wouldn't want to waste our magic. We're finally back to our room, now I just need the lighter... got it! We should have more than enough candles in here. sometimes I enjoy those more than electrical lights. It would have been even nicer if I'd had someone to share it with... ah, well, that probably just wasn't meant to be. I just light a few, it's really pleasant...

"So, what did you have in mind? I hope you won't assault poor little me, now that dad is gone and I'm completely defenceless~" Sometimes she's just too easy.

"What the hell're ya talking 'bout?! If anything I should be worried here!" Hehe, she's really cute when she gets all flustered like that~ "Anyways, I thought, maybe... y'know... we could do that again, yeah? Maybe you could..." She just points at our Soul Gem, I think I get it.

"You're asking if one of us should go into the other's soul again?" She just nods, that's... I guess it isn't too bad. At first I was a little worried, for obvious reasons, but it really wasn't too bad. I mean, I was really surprised, I didn't think Kyouko was blaming herself for all that happened... but I think me being there helped her, if only a little bit. Though I don't know what it was like for Kyouko... "So, do you want to go, or should I...?"

"I guess I've been in yours more often, by now... so it'd probably be fair if you entered mine, yeah? I mean, if you don't mind..." I'm pretty curious, to be honest... though I don't know what to expect. Maybe it's different from last time? "Anyways, why don't we have some ice cream first? Since the freezer probably isn't working either... maybe we could eat some of that?" Oh, that's actually a good point... all of the things in there could defrost and go bad!

"Alright, freezer and fridge rescue mission!" I take some candles along, Kyouko just follows me. I bet she's hoping for something to eat... well, I guess it wouldn't be too bad if we took care of the ice cream. Though I won't eat too much, I don't want to end up getting fat. Knowing my luck I'd gain fifty pounds if I ate as much as Kyouko... I kind of envy her for her metabolism or whatever else keeps her so thin.

"Hehe, I like the sounds of that~ So, what's there to rescue?" Luckily there shouldn't be much in the freezer, I usually buy whatever I need fresh on my way home from school. We don't have too much in the fridge either, so we'll manage. Also depends on when electricity works again, but I should be able to cook all of that before it goes bad. For now I put everything into the sink, except for the ice cream.

"Alright, I guess we're set. Should we go back to our room?" I'm getting more used to that, calling it our room. That used to be pretty uncomfortable at first, but now I almost can't imagine it without Kyouko. I almost can't imagine anything without her... for me everything has been revolving around her, lately.

"Yeah, let's!" I take some spoons with me, I guess that won't really hurt my figure. It's not that much and I probably burned more calories today than most would in a month. Yeah, I can allow myself that, at least for today. Unless Kyouko eats it all before I get the chance.

"Fine, let's get started." I move the other chair to my desk as well and put the ice down. Kyouko is already waiting for the signal to get started... and I already almost forgot why I was supposed to feel depressed in the first place. *Sigh* I'm a really terrible friend, I guess. Sorry, Madoka... I won't ever forget you. One day, one single day... and I couldn't even grieve for the entire day.

"Geez, enough with the gloomy stuff already. I bet Madoka would've wanted you to enjoy yourself more. She was pretty down because you were always feeling down. So go ahead and enjoy this with me." I guess Kyouko is right. Madoka definitely wouldn't be happy to see me all depressed again. I need to finally grow up and become the hero I always wanted to be. To do that... I need to stop running away and pretending things when I don't feel them.

"You're right. I won't forget her, I will always cherish her... but I will move on." Not right away, but I will move on. I need to be functional. For Kyouko, if for nothing else. I definitely can't let myself go again, I need to be better than that. And I think I can be, now. A few weeks ago this would have devastated me... but Madoka died a good death. No one ended up dying because of her, we made sure of that. "To Madoka, a great friend and a the kindest person I ever met."

"To Madoka." Both of us take a bite of the ice cream, somehow it feels silly. But also solemn, though I don't really know how that works together. It just does.

"And to you, Kyouko."

"First time I ever heard of a toast with ice cream... not that I'm complainin'." Well, it's the best thing we have, for something like this. It also tastes pretty good. I still feel a little bit guilty about doing something like this, but I'm not doing it for myself. I just don't want Kyouko to feel worried about me... though I should probably feel flattered that she does. She certainly has taken a liking to me. Well, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't come to like her as well.

"I bet she'd have liked this a lot better than us getting drunk. It just feels like something she'd have loved. She's probably sad that no one got to taste the nice cake she made for all of us... but her parents should decide what happens to it." It'd probably leave a bad aftertaste either way.

"Yeah, real shame 'bout that cake... but I guess you have a point. 'sides, I've got myself some nice ice cream now." She lets her eyes wander for a little bit, then she stares right into mine. The candle light really makes her look beautiful. "... andyou." Huh? She was really quiet, I didn't really understand her.

"What did you say?" She just turns away...

"I didn't say anything, must've been you..." Well, I'll let it slide. "Anyways, have some." She gets some ice cream with her spoon and holds it out to me. Sheesh, this is so embarrassing... but I guess it's fine, right? It's Neapolitan ice cream, so it makes sense. I should just stop worrying about it, Kyouko is my friend now. I did things like that with Madoka all of the time, but I never really felt embarrassed about it.

"Um, thanks." I open my mouth and slowly take the ice cream off her spoon... it's pretty good. Strawberry~ There's really nothing to it, strange as that seems to me. I thought it'd be different, somehow... but it's pretty much the same as it was with Madoka. I don't really know what I was expecting... "Do you want some as well? Here, ah~" I scoop up some ice cream on my spoon and offer it to her.

"Uh, well, that's... y'know... eh, yeah." She just closes her eyes... *Thump* Somehow it feels weird now. Maybe it's just the candles, but she looks embarrassed to me now. And really cute... I shake my head for a moment, I never really thought about that with Madoka. Kyouko hesitantly lets me put the spoon into her mouth, then she closes it... anyways! That's all completely normal, nothing out of the ordinary here.

"It's pretty good, isn't it?" I have my reservations about using that spoon again, Kyouko is basically sucking on it... oh well. There's nothing to it, right?

"Ah, yeah, it's really... good." Somehow it doesn't sound as if she were talking about the ice cream... I have to stay on the offense!

"You've got some in your face... here, let me get it for you." As if I'd lose to Kyouko. Somehow it's become much more teasing, so I'll just go with the flow. I lift my finger to her cheek and wipe off the ice cream. Then I lick it off my fingers, Kyouko seems to be burning up with embarrassment... I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a little bit embarrassed as well. I could stay much cooler when it was with Madoka.

"Wh-, what... Sayaka, that's..." Hehe, nice reaction! That alone makes it worth it.

"You're the one always nagging about not wasting food, right?" I think this is it, my victory~ Not exactly the way I imagined winning against Kyouko, but I did it. Kyouko seems to be left completely speechless, it's really cute... I almost want to continue teasing her. But I guess that's enough, I wouldn't want to push it too far. I mean, she could be getting the wrong idea...

"Y-, yeah, I did say that..." She just holds her cheek and gives me another bashful look. It's pretty difficult to remember, but somewhere below her attitude and all that is a really sweet and innocent girl. I almost feel bad for teasing her like that... almost.

"Anyways, what's wrong? I thought you were hungry." She just gives me a blank stare...

"Huh? Oh... yeah, I guess..." Maybe I did push her a little bit too far, after all.

"Sorry, I guess I went a little bit overboard with this..." It's difficult for me to judge how much is fine with Kyouko. I never had that problem with Madoka or Hitomi, I always knew when to stop, what would be too much for them... then again, I knew both of them for years.

"Nah, that's not... it's fine. You don't need to worry 'bout it." _I actually liked it._ Oh... um...

"Ah... ahahaha, I see. Um, yeah, that was..." Geez, what are you thinking...? You're going to make me blush for real, idiot!

"Uh, anyways... the ice cream is good, right?"

"It's pretty good..." Kyouko seems to find the ice cream incredibly fascinating all of a sudden. She starts eating again, on her side, with her spoon. I do the same, we should probably just forget all about that. I mean, I was just fooling around, I never really... "Kyouko?"

"Mh?" I don't think she really wants to talk about it...

"Sorry if that sounds weird, but... do you, um, you know... like me? As in... well, you know what I mean, right?" I didn't really think about it, that would be... pretty strange. I was always joking around like that, but that was it. I never really thought about actually doing something like that. It would be downright cruel towards Kyouko, if she actually... I should know. If Kyouko felt like that, I should at least hear her out.

"The hell're ya talkin' 'bout? I mean, 'course I like ya. You're, like... my best friend, basically. So, yeah..." That's something of a relief... I don't really know how I should have responded to her if she did. I wouldn't deserve that, I couldn't make her happy... I couldn't even make myself happy. Apart from that... I mean, I like her, but... I don't really know. It's definitely better this way, right?

"I like you as well. I can't really say you're my best friend, not right now... but you kind of are, I guess. I mean, since Madoka... um, but those aren't really related. You were very important to me, even before Madoka died." I can't really put it into words... Madoka was my best friend, without a doubt. But Kyouko... I shared things with her that I'd never have shown even Madoka, not to mention anyone else. Where does that leave us?

"I know what you mean. Anyways, thanks for the ice cream. So, you still up for it, or...?" Well, it's not as if anything changed, right?

"Alright, let's do it." Kyouko still seems to be a little bit sulky, though I don't really get it. We just get back to my room, Kyouko lies down on the bed and takes out our Soul Gem. She gives it a short look and... throws it towards me! I barely manage to catch it... "Watch it, Kyouko!"

"Sure, whatevs. Let's get this over with."

"What's your problem?! I thought it was nothing, but you go and behave like this... which one is it?!" I really don't get her, sometimes...

"I said, let's get this over with. Do it or don't, I don't give a damn!" She just rolls around and turns her back towards me...

"Come on, don't be like that. You were the one talking about 'having fun' and all that just a minute ago. I can't help you if you don't talk to me." Talk about mixed signals...

"I don't wanna talk, 'kay? So, would you mind?" *Sigh* I see, I won't be able to get through to her. I don't know what her problem is, all of a sudden... but maybe I'll be able to figure something out inside of her soul. I don't really know how all of that stuff works, but maybe that's what it's meant for. Maybe this is a way for us to understand each other. If it weren't for our current situation... we'd never even become friends, I think.

"Alright, I'll do it. Even if I probably shouldn't. We were presented with a choice. To live or to die. I was happy that you wanted me to live... but four or five hours later you almost throw that away? That's just... too cruel..." If she had said it back then... that would have been fine. I would have still died, but I accepted that. Instead she gets my hopes up, higher and higher, and then... she just throws it away?

"Geez, don't make such a scene 'cause of that... it's annoying. Yeah, I was a li'l bit careless there, sorry." She'd better mean it... I need all of my willpower, just to keep myself from crying again. The way Kyouko is treating me right now... this isn't what I signed up for. But I won't allow myself weakness... I won't let Kyouko see me like that again. If she is going to take advantage of my vulnerable moments... I can't have any around her.

"Here, Kyouko. If I'm so annoying, go ahead. Or do you want me to smash it for you?" I hold out our Soul Gem towards her. My hands are trembling. Right now I feel really tempted to just stab my finger into her half and make her feel the same... but I somehow manage to suppress it. _That amount of pain wouldn't be enough to make her understand... she deserves something far worse._ Gah! Something isn't right here, we need to work this out...

"What the hell...? Uh, you alright, Sayaka?" Now Kyouko finally looks slightly worried... _Well, you should have thought of that sooner, shouldn't you?_ My shoulders slouch slightly, this really isn't good...

"Ah, now it matters, all of a sudden? Just forget it. Hahaha!" Ah, it's somehow still hilarious~ Still, that's as far as I'll go. "... Sorry. Really, it's nothing. Let's just forget any of that happened, alright?"

"If... if you say so..." Kyouko looks somewhat pale now... _Good._ No, not good... really, it's enough. Isn't it? Isn't it?! "Alright, I'm sorry... you happy now? I'll... I'll enter your soul, if you... well, if you let me. I messed up and I wanna make it up to you, yeah?

"I'm not sure, maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea, right now. Maybe we should just go to bed... and forget..." Let her. We're going to have so much fun, aren't we? It's really no good. I shouldn't let Kyouko continue, she'd have a bad time...

"I messed up, yeah. Fine... big time. So, lemme make it right again. Just... throw me a bone here. Ya know, I can be a li'l bit impulsive and all that. Really wasn't fair, what I said just now, wasn't really thinking much 'bout it either. Please..." I slowly shake my head, this really is a terrible idea... I don't know why, but it would be stupid. We shouldn't do this right now, something is wrong here. She's approaching me now...

"Kyouko... stop! It's dangerous right now and I don't want... I don't want something to happen to you. No matter what you just said..." _Let her, she has a lesson to learn..._ Maybe, just maybe... that isn't all wrong? She pulls me into a tight hug, but it feels fake. Maybe she means it... but I can't feel anything in it. A meaningless gesture, after all she did...

"Hey, Sayaka... it's alright, I'm really sorry. And since I made a huge mistake... I'd better take responsibility for it, right? And danger? Don't make me laugh. After Walpurgisnacht and everything else, I don't think there's much you could do to scare me." Haha... I don't think I can convince her, no matter what. She's all stubborn again and she won't give in.

"Kyouko, if you go right now... I warned you, alright? You could die, or worse... I really don't want you to, please. Listen to me, just this once, would you?" Why can't she just listen, for once...? I can't do anything for her in there. I can't control it...

"Seriously, don't worry so much. I'm sure I can work something out, yeah? Me and her, we got along, so far. She didn't kill me, did she?" Kyouko just won't understand it!

"Right now... it's different! I don't know happened to you in my soul so far... but right now it would be something else entirely!" That's right... I wanted to hurt Kyouko. I didn't just want to hit her or poke her side of our Soul Gem... I wanted to do terrible things to her, after she said that.

"I can tell now, Sayaka... what I said just now, that really got right to ya, yeah? So, even if I didn't mean all that much by it... I can't just run away. Please, lemme fix it for you. I'll take full responsibility for whatever happens to me, alright?" As if. If something happened to her... I'd have no one to blame but myself. But I can't deny her either...

"Alright, I'll allow it... but be careful, alright?" I shouldn't let her, I really shouldn't. But it's too late for that, too late to change anything.

"Yeah, it's a promise. I'll come back, don't worry 'bout it. And as soon as everything's worked out... let's just have some fun. I'll make it up to you, for real." How could I do anything but trust her, when she stares into my eyes so earnestly...? *Sigh* I just can't help it, even if I know that it's a stupid idea. I just hope she won't get herself hurt...

"You'd better not be lying, you know... I really don't want to lose my trust in you." Even after what she just did... I want to trust her. It's probably stupid, I shouldn't have kept living... but it's my only hope now. I made my choice, for better or worse.

"You ain't gonna regret it, I promise! Anyways, let's get started." I finally give her our Soul Gem, as she stops hugging me. Please, Kyouko... after all we've been through together... don't make me give up now.

"Yes, let's..." I lie down on our bed, though I still feel uneasy about all of this. The way Kyouko was acting... I think that was a huge step backwards for any trust we've built so far. I don't really believe she meant anything by it either, but still...

"Just relax and calm down. I'll fix it, alright? Just trust me." I'd love to... I really wish it was that easy. Can I bring myself to trust her again? I shouldn't even be asking that question, I know I should trust her... but it isn't that easy.

"When I wake up... you'd better be there, alright?"

"I already promised. Ain't gonna go back on that.


End file.
